I Know It's Too Late
by girlonfire7953
Summary: Life was a long, hard-fought battle. In the end, there were no heroes and no mercy was ever given. No one genuinely cares; they just like to make you believe they care. When you're numb with pain and heartbroken, no one will help you. At least that's what I am forced to believe. After winning the 66th Hunger Games, it gets worse over time. FinninckxOC KatnissxPeeta
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter One  
_**_Losing the Battle_

Life was a long, hard-fought battle. In the end, there were no heroes and no mercy was ever given. No one genuinely cares; they just like to make you believe they care. When you're numb with pain and heartbroken, no one will help you. At least that's what I forced myself to believe.

It has been almost a decade since my misery started. It has been nearly ten years since winning my Hunger Games. I won the 66th Hunger Games and was the youngest Victor ever at the age of twelve years old.

Now I was just about to turn twenty-two. I have long blond, pretty hair; it's probably my best physical feature. And I have green eyes, which everyone finds pretty. But I don't see it. I think they're awkward on my face. I have pale porcelain skin and a tall-ish, slim body.

Someone knocked on my door and I went to go answer it. It was Haymitch Abernathy and Plutarch Heavensbee.

"Hello, Ariadne Stone." Haymitch said as I rolled my eyes.

"Call me Aria, Haymitch." I said.

"Alright, may we come in for a minute?" Haymitch asked as I reluctantly let them in. They were an odd pair. I wouldn't expect them to be here, knocking on my door in the District Two Victor's Village.

Plutarch helped himself to the couch.

"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" I asked quietly.

"We need your help Aria." Plutarch said.

"With what?" I asked, crossing my arms. I wasn't a fan of getting involved with people I didn't know very well. But this must have been pretty important if they were making a house call.

"In the Quarter Quell, an inside source told me that tributes will be reaped from the pool of existing Victors." Plutarch said. This didn't sound good for me. It was one thing to mentor, but it was a completely different thing to be going back in.

"And?" I asked, unsure where they were going with this. Whatever it was couldn't be good.

"We need you to volunteer and be part of the rebellion." Haymitch said.

"Why?" I asked.

"To watch out for my tributes. We need to keep Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark alive. I need you to keep the Career tributes away from them. You're a Career; you could drive a wedge between their confrontations!" Haymitch said.

"Why should I? What have they ever done for me? Why should I risk my life, knowing they wouldn't do the same? Everdeen wants me dead. I don't care how you phrase it, but if I go in, she's going to want me dead." I asked.

"Ariadne, it's rude to assume such things." Plutarch said.

"Don't give me a lesson on rudeness, Heavensbee. What's rude is sending an innocent and youthful twelve-year old into the Games and ruining her life!" I snapped, turning my anger on him. I know he didn't pick me to go in, but why should I pretend he didn't have a say in what happened?

"Aria, we need you. Please! Mellark has a synthetic leg and Everdeen is the head of the rebellion. Let's face it; you were the wood that prepped everyone for the fire! People are still talking about your Games. You somehow found the spot where the Capitol was out of focus and killed there, every time. They didn't get your methods on camera and that makes you so much more mysterious." Haymitch said.

"Is that supposed to make me feel bad for them? Oh no- Everdeen is an unstable Head of a rebellion who can't take care of herself. I'm so sorry." I said, sarcastically. My amounts of killing was a question in the Capitol. It was a very controversial subject, but it taught the Gamemakers to place cameras in every angle of the arena. I found the one place they lacked in. No one knows my methods except for me.

"Aria, please. Just do us this favor!" Plutarch said.

"And what happens when the Careers try to kill me? They will get bored, I can guarantee it!" I said.

"Find a way to prevent it. And I can promise you, when it happens, I can make sure all of Panem sees the vain and cruelty of your death." Plutarch said.

I studied both of their faces. They seemed desperate, really desperate.

"Fine, but you both owe me. This is not something that will be forgotten, understood?" I asked as they nodded.

"I will risk my life with the Careers for this damned rebellion. But you cannot ask me for anything else." I said.

"Well, sweetheart, we have one more favor. We need you to get romantically linked with Finnick Odair." Haymitch said. I almost barfed!

"Odair is almost as unstable as Everdeen!" I said, swallowing gruffly.

"We know, but imagine what the Capitol would see. Their favorite wild stallion would be tamed." Plutarch said.

"You can ask me to keep the Careers at bay. But you can't ask me to work with Odair." I said shaking my head.

"Why not?" Haymitch asked, clearly disappointed. If he wanted to get along better, he'd better learn to mask his emotions better. In the end, your emotions give away everything. And that's one thing Everdeen- as unstable as she is- already knows. She's guarded.

"Because I hate him and he hates me, for one. Two, he's disgusting. Three, he has Annie Cresta and I will not do that to her." I said shaking my head.

"Didn't you watch the recent news update? It happened this morning! President Snow sent Annie away. He sent her to some mental institution in the Capitol and forced her and Odair to break up." Plutarch said.

"Okay, but I will not force someone to get over their past romantic interest in practically a day!" I said stomping my foot. My voice went slightly shrill.

"Aria, please. He needs your help." Haymitch said.

I studied both of their faces.

"I'm serious. You can ask me to keep the Careers away, but I can't do it." I said shaking my head.

"Think about it, please. You know what Finnick Odair does to keep people safe, don't you?" Plutarch asked.

"He sells his body! Everyone knows that, Plutarch. He could easily stop anytime he wants to. He would just have to face the consequences that I did." I said.

"They asked you?" Haymitch asked, in shock. Plutarch nodded once.

"Snow told me that I should be more appreciative and repay my sponsors. He said they admired my regal and elegant stature." I said, thinking back. It was sickening to ask someone to sell their body, but everyone has a choice.

"Snow threw a fit when Aria said no. He killed twenty Capitol citizens." Plutarch said.

"Good. Imagine the fit he'd throw if Odair said no." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Snow knows too much about Finnick. He knows he can punish him through other people. With you, he was kind of taking a guess." Plutarch said.

I sat down on the couch with a sigh. I couldn't do it. Not when I gave up so much just to stay pure and innocent.

"So what do you say?" Plutarch asked grabbing my wrist. I instantly pulled away.

"I can keep the Careers away for as long as they let me, but I can't get in a relationship with Odair. I can't let myself." I said shaking my head.

"Why not?" Haymitch asked.

"I don't have to explain my reasoning to anyone." I said instantly putting the walls up.

"Please, just think about it." Plutarch said, pleadingly. I groaned and ran a hand through my hair.

"Fine, I will think about it. Just give me space. I will do my part at the reaping tomorrow, but I will tell you if I chose to do anything else." I said. They both nodded their heads and turned to walk out.

I instantly closed my eyes and let my tears fall. What was I getting myself into? When I stopped crying, a woman stood in front of me. How did she even get in here? Haymitch and Plutarch closed the door behind them!

This woman had blond wavy hair that went to her hips and gray eyes. She grinned at me and reached for my hand.

She began mouthing something, but I didn't understand her. All I knew is that some stranger was in my house and was trying to come into contact with me. My mind instantly went a million miles per hour.

"No!" I screamed, falling to my knees. I nervously ran my hands through my hair and continuing to sob.

My mother- who was dead, long dead- stood before me. I can't afford to be crazy; they'll send me away like they did to Annie!

I instantly ran up to my room and collapsed on my bed.

Mom walked through the door and I let out a scream. I tried to calm myself down and I took a few deep breaths.

I ran downstairs to my phone that hung on the wall and dialed a number that was installed into it. It was Plutarch's number.

"Plutarch," I gasped, "I'll do it."

"Great-." He said about to keep talking. I slammed the phone on the receptor and hung up. I started sobbing and I slid down the wall. I cried myself to sleep and woke up when the sun shone through some blinds.

"Happy Reaping day, Aria. You'll be going into the 75th Annual Hunger Games." I said picking myself up.

* * *

After having a few months of a long hiatus, I am back. I thought I'd pick something up that was different. I chose Finnick/OC

I hope you guys liked it! I'll think of an updating schedule soon, but now: I'm updating when I want. I don't know how I thought of making Aria see her mom or anything like that. Consider it a kind-of creepy gift for reading the first chapter!

I think that's about everything! Thanks for reading, guys!

-GirlonFire


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**_  
Wreck It_

Breathe, Aria, breathe. Just take a few deep breaths. Wait- why am I thinking in the third person?

As I was walking to the town square, I felt anxiety trickle into my body. I was really doing this!

The _clack-y_ noise my heels made echoed on the cobblestone streets of District Two. _Clack, clack, clack._I found the strange noise slightly comforting. There was a certain rhythm and repetition to the noise that helped me relax.

I stepped on the makeshift stage, next to my mentors. I was 'mentored' by Brutus and Enobaria. They were rooting for my District partner and wrote me off as the weak, little twelve-year old who was automatically going to die.

Enobaria grinned at me with her sharpened teeth and I nodded my head once. Brutus studied our little exchange and rolled his eyes.

My hair blew off my shoulders, in the breeze. I sighed and shut my eyes. If it wasn't the reaping again, the weather would be perfectly peaceful. My light green dress fluttered in the breeze and exposed my knees to the sun. Any other day, I would be taking the opportunity to sit outside on the back porch with an iced tea and a book.

Everyone was talking excitedly. Apparently, most people were betting on Enobaria and Brutus to pull out a victory. They were going to be shocked! Their voices were muffled through all the chaos, but the way they pointed at Enobaria and tried to socialize with Brutus made their favoritism obvious.

Estella, the District Two escort, stepped on the crowded stage. She was as big as five people! She has star constellations tattooed into her skins and diamonds were embedded to be the 'stars'. Her dress was dark blue and large. It had feathers galore and had gold little meteors on it. She looked properly Capitol-istic. She was the escort back in my day, but she looks like she hasn't aged a bit.

"Hello, citizens of District Two. It's wonderful to be in such an amazing district again!" Estella said as people clapped and cheered.

"Let's begin with our normal video clip, straight from the Capitol." She said as we watched the same clip from the past. I rolled my eyes and zoned out for the clip.

"For the Seventy-Fifth Annual Hunger Games, our tributes will be reaped from the pool of previous Victors! So congratulations and may the odds be ever in your favors! Ladies first, as always." Estella said, adjusting her gold wig.

She reached a perfectly manicured hand into the reaping bowl. I let out a shallow breath and waited.

"Enobaria Rockwell." Estella said.

"I volunteer as tribute." I said as people gasped. I was stealing Enobaria's thunder. She glared at me, like she actually wanted to go back in. Estella sighed and shook her head at me.

"Now for the male tribute." Estella said reaching in and waiting for the perfect slip. She pulled one out and read from it.

"Brutus Windsor." She said as people cheered.

"We can't send the crazy girl into the arena! That's suicide! District Two cannot be portrayed as weak!" Someone yelled as people nodded and cheered in agreement. Meanwhile, my face grew red. Everyone saw me as completely insane and unhinged. And apparently, I wrecked their chances of bringing home the same District Two Victor twice.

"Citizens, she volunteered for this. She knows what she is getting herself into!" Estella said as a man jumped on the stage in my direction. He made a move to strangle me!

Peacekeepers sprang into action and dragged him away from me. A riot started! Brutus, Estella, and I were dragged into Capitol cars and drove off to the train station. I felt dirty. I only caused a riot and almost got strangled.

"Are we making a Career pack this year?" Brutus asked once we boarded the train.

"Heck yes! We're going to flatten Everdeen like a bug." I said as Brutus laughed.

Note to self: Careers enjoy plotting other's deaths.

I walked to a separate part of the train and claimed the bed. I took a little nap. I must've been thinking about why I said yes to Plutarch about the Finnick thing.

Finnick isn't unstable- not as much as Everdeen is, at least. But he is just very insecure. When he feels threatened, he feeds people lies and makes them look worse than he does. He did it to me, once or twice. But it backfired on him because I just didn't care about what people said.

But now, he'd be ten times worse. Annie was taken away and he was forced to act like he cared about me. He'd be distraught! If possible, I had to be the one to talk to him. I had to find him before Plutarch or Haymitch did.

"So what have you been doing with yourself?" Brutus asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Umm... I've been vacationing around the country a few times. District Four is lovely to vacation in." I said. That wasn't completely untrue; I have traveled a few times. I thought about where I was going next.

"And a few days ago, Finnick Odair and I started _talking_." I said as Brutus choked on water he was drinking.

"Aria, you need to be careful around him. He goes through women quickly. Just ask Cresta about how well that turned out for her. Oh wait- you can't! She isn't allowed to have visitors." Brutus said recovering.

We stopped at the Capitol, finally. It saved me from responding to Brutus' cracks about Annie's insanity. We were whisked off the train and I put on a fake smile. I waved to the hideous citizens who dyed their skins bright colors and wore wigs.

I blew a kiss before heading inside. Almost instantly we were put in the hands of our prep teams.

I had Winston, a man with dyed red skin and a black goatee, from my first prep ever. He was sentimental about prepping me again. He also claimed I wasn't so hairy this time; which was a nice compliment.

I had Adella, a woman with a red wig and long purple eyelashes. She was a part of my first prep team, too. But she always scared me when she was leaning over my face. What if her eyelashes poked me in the eyes and I was blinded?

I had a new girl named Shine. She did exactly what her name implied. She had diamonds and rubies embedded into her skin. Everywhere the light hit her; she shined like a disco ball.

"You know how this goes, Aria." Winston said as I began stripping. They walked around me and studied me, like I was a prized sculpture. I didn't have time to feel self-conscious. They started ripping off my hair instantly.

_Rip! _I winced as another chunk of hair on my leg was ripped from the follicles. I'm pretty sure I looked like a pink shaved cat, too.

Finally, they finished ripping my hair out. I sighed in relief and they dunked me in a bubbling blue bath.

My Capitol team rattled on and on about Finnick. I guess he had an appointment with one of them a few months ago. I fought back an eye-roll as they gushed over his good looks and good personality.

When I got out of the bath, I wasn't pink anymore. They began doing my nails and hair. Winston ran a brush gently through my hair and I sighed.

Adella and Shine put me in a gold sparkly dress. It had a slit up to my thigh and it was a slim dress. There was a tear-shaped cut above the cleavage. The neckline wrapped around my neck gently with a button. I don't think I've ever looked better.

"Who is my stylist this year?" I asked.

"Well, Richie was moved to District Four. So we traded." Shine said as I nodded.

They put me in sparkly gold high heels.

"Looks great guys! I have to go now. Thanks for the help." I said running off. I found my chariot, spotted Brutus, Gloss, and Cashmere talking to each other.

And then I saw Finnick, Mags, Johanna, and Blight. I marched over and Johanna smirked at me. She nodded her head. I grabbed Finnick's arm and dragged him off.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"We need to talk." I said impatiently. I wasn't going to take any of Finnick's attitude today. I marched us off to a supply closet and slammed the door shut behind us.

"What's up? Need some company?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in a signature smirk.

"None of your company. Nice outfit though. Mind if I borrow it sometime?" I asked.

"What do you want? I have to go become allies with Katniss." Finnick said rolling his green eyes.

"Plutarch and Haymitch made a house call to me and they told me I have to keep the bad kids away from your allies. But they also told me that I have to like you." I said crossing my arms.

"Like me? What do they mean?" Finnick asked.

"We have to have a fake relationship." I said.

To say Finnick exploded was an understatement.

"I'm not ready for this! Annie was only taken from me a few days ago! How can you expect me to do this?" Finnick demanded. Here I go, wrecking his life too. I just ruin everything, don't I?

"Listen, I understand. And I'm not trying to force you to do anything. But how would your fans like it if their favorite person was tied down?" I asked as he quieted. He began thinking about what I was saying.

"They'd riot!" Finnick said as I nodded.

"And it would get you out of appointments." I said.

"Why are you doing this?" Finnick asked.

"I don't know." I said shaking my head and walking out of the supply closet. Finnick followed me out and I stared at the chariot for a long time. I was a little unsteady in heels and didn't want to risk falling on my face.

"Here, take my hand." Finnick said.

"You're not going to pull it away?" I asked.

"Of course not. I never do the same thing twice." Finnick said with a smirk. I got one step in my chariot when Finnick pulled me out. I screamed and we both fell to the ground. He started chuckling and I rolled off of him. He broke my fall, at least.

I glared at him.

"Come on, Stone, lighten up." Finnick said, helping me stand.

"Is your ankle okay?" He asked.

"Fine." I said getting on the chariot by myself. I gritted my teeth and practiced putting weight on both of my feet. It was a little shaky for now.

The Careers were glaring at me. I sighed and glared back at them. They finally turned their gazes away.

"Tributes, please mount the Chariots." A voice said as I took a deep breath. I was never ready to face the Capitol, no matter how pretty I looked.

* * *

Looks like Aria is just messing stuff up this chapter! It's a pretty early update for me, but I don't have school today. I have no clue why, but oh well! I hope you guys enjoyed reading!

Thank you Defying Gravity9 for reviewing! It was so nice of you to say so! And I'm looking forward to telling you all why she was so stubborn at first. Soon, very soon.

Thank you IssabellaGirl for reviewing, too! It means a lot to me that you liked Chapter 1 so much! Thanks for taking the time to review!

And thank you Spectrum700 for reviewing, also! It means a lot to me that you liked the Chapter too. I try really hard to make my original characters like-able (is that the right word for it?). I can't wait for her to develop before our eyes! It should be great!

Thank you: C.J. Spells, Green-NaNa-Neko89, Kim-83, alwaysremembergirlcode, Spectrum700, Tardis. , and zazanis for following the story! Thank you again to Green-NaNa-Neko89 and alwaysremembergirlcode for favoriting the story, also!

You all have been amazingly supportive and it's only Chapter One! Thanks so much guys! Have a great day!

-GirlonFire


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3:  
**Timeless_

As the chariots were leaving, Haymitch and I shared a look. He nodded his head once and I nodded back. What was I just agreeing on? Nothing too drastic, I hope.

Brutus and I silently agreed to glare the pants off people. People threw a bouquet of white roses at me and I couldn't help but catch it. The thorns dug into my arms and I fought off tears.

The chariot skidded to a stop and we waited for the rest of them to catch up. Katniss and Peeta glared at everything. Me, the cement, the citizens, and whatever else was in between. I couldn't help but smile when I saw Peeta glaring at the horse pulling his chariot.

"What a joke." Brutus muttered as I laughed dryly.

"Tributes, we welcome you. We salute your bravery and honor you!" President Snow said as Johanna and I shared a look from across the circle. I smirked and she rolled her eyes. And then the Peacekeepers got their guns ready.

Finnick stepped off his chariot! What was he doing? Was he trying to commit suicide?

"Aria, may I have your arm?" Finnick asked stopping at the side of my chariot. I shared a look and he shook his head. He helped me off the chariot and didn't even joke about making me trip or fall.

"Stand down. I want to see this." President Snow said, leaning forward in his chair. The Peacekeepers put the guns away and we walked. Finnick wouldn't look at me. He looked at his feet with a guilty expression on his face.

We walked past Beetee and Wiress and they nodded. I shrugged my shoulders and Beetee's eyes widened. Mags smiled at me pitifully. Bella Trent and Blake Waters from District Five glared at us because they didn't like me. The Morphlings from District Six smiled drunkenly at us. Johanna didn't know what was happening either. Cecelia and Woof looked just as confused as I did. District Nine glared at me again.

"You're great at making friends, huh?" Finnick asked in my ear.

"Sure, great. At least District Ten isn't glaring at me yet." I said hopefully. They kept their faces neutral.

Seeder nodded encouragingly and Chaff smiled. Katniss glared at me and I glared back.

"I get the feeling that your ally doesn't like me." I said to Finnick.

"She's trying to figure you out. She's scarily cryptic. Actually, you two are probably two of the same." Finnick said.

"No." I said shaking my head with a smile.

We stood in the middle of the chariots. Finnick got on one knee and I was thankful for my long dress, to make up for his lack of clothing. He had a knot of rope over his groin and that was it.

So that's why Haymitch nodded before we left. And this is what I agreed to. My eyes began watering. I couldn't stop the tears. At least there was waterproof mascara and they could be tears of joy.

"Aria Elizabeth Stone, would you do me the incredible honors of being my wife?" Finnick asked.

"Yes." I said putting on a dazzling smile. This was the surprise Haymitch nodded at me for. I inwardly growled and tried to look as thrilled as possible. Finnick seemed somewhat assured that I didn't explode yet, but I was a ticking bomb.

Finnick grabbed my hand and wrapped his fingers around mine. I smiled and looked in his eyes. Cameras started flashing and the mob of Capitol women rushed closer to me. Peacekeepers jumped to keep them away from me.

"Stop the Games!" Someone yelled.

"I want a wedding, not the Games!" Another person yelled.

The Capitol citizens actually wanted a wedding more than the Games! It was a shock. The Games were the entertainment of the year. It wasn't a good year when Snow didn't force twenty-four kids to fight to the death

"We already cancelled Everdeen's wedding!" The first person said.

I was going to have a Capitol-istic wedding? No! I didn't even want to get married. Finnick began pulling me down the road the chariots went down. Screams echoed behind us and I rolled my eyes.

The whole 'romantic' walk was silent. As we got closer to the training center, I got tense. We were the last people there. My anger was beginning to become noticeable and my grip on Finnick's hand made his fingers turn purple.

As soon as we got in the training center, I pulled my hand out of Finnick's and stormed over to Haymitch.

"Great job, sweetheart." Haymitch said.

"Why didn't you tell me _this_ was what you were planning?" I demanded angrily.

"It was the next best thing to drive them crazy! You heard what they were like out there! You two drove them to hysterics." Haymitch said.

"Those are Finnick's lady fans that are going to strangle me!" I said shrilly.

"You made them think. If they cancel two weddings, the Capitol citizens will blow a fuse!" Haymitch said.

"I don't care. I never even wanted to get married!" I said.

"So are you really going to go to the Capitol and claim it was just an act?" Haymitch asked. I couldn't do that now! I already acted so _thrilled_ when Finnick proposed.

I was silent. But my silence was deadly. Haymitch seemed to grow more and more scared by the second. I was death glaring him and he backed into a wall.

"Aria, you did great! Commendable acting!" Plutarch said as my anger started welling up. I tried to take some deep breaths to calm down, but it wasn't working.

I must have looked pretty on edge because Plutarch didn't say anything else.

"It was great, wasn't it? Katniss sure could use a lesson from Aria." Haymitch said as I growled and clenched a fist.

"I only wish my tributes could scam people that well." Haymitch continued. I was getting ready to slam Haymitch into the next century.

"Haymitch." I growled.

"There's a certain fire and sweetness when she scams people. You know she's going to do it, but she bats her eyelashes and you let it happen." Haymitch said as Plutarch nodded.

"I'll show you fire." I said about to give Haymitch a piece of my mind. And then Finnick walked in front of me and threw me over his shoulder.

"Finnick Odair, put me down!" I snapped, kicking and screaming.

Plutarch let out a chuckle and Finnick walked into the elevator. He had an arm wrapped around my legs.

"Finnick put me down!" I said, quieter.

He pushed the number four button and the elevator sped off. It's pretty dizzying, being in an elevator upside down. It's like the floor suddenly comes forward. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Watch out Mags. Heavy load." Finnick said throwing me on the couch.

"Still angry, Beauty Queen?" Finnick asked.

"Why didn't anyone tell me that we had to get married today?!" I snapped shrilly. Mags patted my hand with a sympathetic smile.

"We were counting on your shock. If you knew, it would seem forced." Finnick said.

"It was forced! We're in a hoax relationship." I said.

"I'm going to get changed for the meeting tonight." Finnick said, going into a room. Mags looked at me, asking for some answers.

"I never wanted to get married. It's just not something someone like me is interested in. I'm trying to stay as sane as I possibly can. Not many people go for the people who are seen as insane. No one likes the crazy people, Mags." I said shaking my head.

She smiled and pointed to Finnick. He went for Annie, didn't he? Of course he did, but look how well it turned out for her. She was carted away by the Capitol and shoved into a hospital for her mentality.

"And after my family died, I just didn't want anyone else. I've always been kind of independent. But their deaths inspired me to look away from the physicality of a relationship and be more independent on myself." I said quietly. Her eyes widened and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I remember the day everything happened. It was my sixteenth birthday and Snow called me into the Capitol. He told me I should repay my sponsors and that they admired my tall and regal stature. But I said no. I was rushed out of the Capitol immediately. It only took like twenty minutes to get to District Two, that's how quickly they kicked me out. I picked up some groceries and was gone for ten minutes. When I was walking home, Peacekeepers marched out of my house and ignored me. They were dead when I got there. It was dreadful. Mom was hanging from the ceiling fan with her throat slit. Dad was cut into pieces and put in the refrigerator. My brother, Ethan, was stabbed fifty-two times." I said.

Mags looked really sad. Her eyes watered up.

"Nothing feels the same. I can't go on, knowing that they aren't here. It feels like if I do get married, the guy should have to go through Ethan and ask my dad for his blessing." I said quietly.

Mags opened her mouth and sucked in some air.

"I've been completely alone since then. I guess I forgot how to act around people for a while." I said as Mags smiled.

"I feel bad. I was so against marrying Finnick just because they're not here. I don't want anything to change without them, but it has to! My brother despised Finnick, it was almost funny. He said Finnick cheated his way out of the Games, but I said that any Victor worked just as hard as the other. That was shortly before my reaping." I said as Mags nodded.

"What are you two talking about in here?" Finnick asked, sitting next to Mags.

"Nothing really." I lied, smoothly. Mags smiled and I winked at her. I got up and they both watched me.

"Well, we have a press conference as soon as you change out of the dress." Finnick said.

"Why?" I asked, very confused.

"Handle wedding stuff." Finnick said.

"Who all is coming?" I asked.

"Plutarch will be there, but he can't come talk with us in risk of showing favoritism over the other tributes. And that's it. Snow will be there, also." Finnick said as I nodded. We went off to the elevator and waved goodbye to Mags.

"Do you want me to do the talking?" Finnick asked. He probably should do the talking since he was used to the Capitol and how they responded to things. Let's face it, Finnick knew everything there was to know about the Capitol. We stopped at my floor.

"If you could talk, that'd be great. I'm not very good at verbalizing feelings." I said as Finnick nodded. We stepped out of the elevator and I kicked off my heels.

"You can wait with Estella, Winston, Shine, and Adella while I get changed." I said checking out Finnick's outfit. Some people might find it cute if we matched. Of course, Finnick was only wearing jeans and a light blue t-shirt. I decided to color coordinate and went for a blue, too.

"Where are you two going?" Estella asked as I began undoing my hair.

"Press conference, but we've got to go now." Finnick said, not letting me finish my hair! We were in the lobby and my hair was half up, half down! I hurried to fix it.

"You two are matching." Plutarch said nodding.

"I didn't notice." Finnick said shrugging his shoulders.

"My doing. I thought some people would find it cute." I said.

"Good planning. Just come on. The cars won't stay forever and the Peacekeepers are getting impatient." Plutarch said as we followed him out. Plutarch got into a different car and a Peacekeeper sat in between Finnick and I. It was an awkwardly silent car ride. The Peacekeepers killed the 'Just Married' mood.

We got to a strange building in the middle of the Capitol, right next to President Snow's mansion. The building was made of gray bricks and wasn't as bright as the rest of the Capitol. But the dome-shape made up for the lack of color. It was still just as odd as the rest of the Capitol.

Peacekeepers escorted us in and we were forced to sit at a table and let people yell at us.

"Quiet, citizens! I have brought in Mr. and Mrs. Odair to answer some of your questions." Snow said as everyone quieted. Oh right- he meant Finnick and I. We shared a look and I smiled.

"Question for Aria!" Someone yelled.

"Yes?" I asked into the microphone.

"How do you feel about all of this? Last we heard, you and Mr. Odair weren't very fond of each other." He said as everyone waited for my answer. I began thinking about what to say.

"That's the understatement of the century, sir. I'd like to say Finnick and I were immature back then. But now we've grown up and seen who we really are." I said as Finnick nodded his approval. People laughed and cameras continued flashing.

"Mr. Odair, what do you have to say about this?" A woman asked.

"I'd like to say that I'm incredibly lucky. This goes for Aria and I, also. We're not poor or in poverty, we're not starving, and we're not ill. We may go through hard times but at least we have each other." Finnick said as I looked into his eyes and smiled. He smiled back and more cameras started flashing. People rattled off questions, but most of them were for Finnick.

I just kind of sat there and looked pretty. I sat around and listened to the questions Finnick answered. He answered them smoothly and sincerely. He oozed confidence, too. This was his element, dealing with crazy Capitol people.

An attendant brought me a water bottle.

"Do you, by chance, have anything to eat?" I asked.

"Of course, dear. I'll bring a plate out for you." She said with a smile. A Capitol woman was physically exerting herself? Where were the avoxes? This is just plain weird.

She brought out lobster and steak. I finished all of it and Finnick looked at the plate longingly.

"I'll take some questions now. Go eat something, Finnick." I said as Finnick smiled. He kissed my cheek and got up. I blushed and people laughed. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Aria, what can you tell us about being in a relationship with Finnick?" A different woman asked me.

"Well, it's the greatest thing I've known. Although we fight sometime, he's always there. Because love is timeless." I said as people cooed. I should win an award for my acting skills.

"That's quite enough. Mr. Heavensbee, please escort Mr. and Mrs. Odair back to the training center." Snow said, staring at me. I stared back and he raised an eyebrow. I think I took the breath out of him! I definitely threw him off guard. Finnick came out of the kitchen with tons of food.

We got into a car and there were no Peacekeepers.

"Nice one!" Plutarch said.

"I think Aria got the job done. I thought we'd be there for longer." Finnick said.

"Let's face it, I should win an award. I think I gave the President an asthma attack." I said.

"Well, love is timeless." Plutarch said, quoting me.

Love is timeless.

* * *

Hi everyone!

**Thanks to**: Green-NaNa-Neko89, Guest, GraceQuinn11, sPaRkzZz, and IssabellaGirl for the reviews! I appreciate the continual support you all have given me!

**Green-NaNa-Neko89:** All in good time my friend. You'll learn all about Aria's sanity- or lack thereof- and her Hunger Games. Soon, my friend, soon. I promise!

**Guest: **Thank you very much for taking the time to review! I'm glad you like the story so far! Have a good day :)

**GraceQuinn11:** I'm trying to go outside of my comfort zone with Aria. She's supposed to be my alter ego, I suppose. I'm more reserved and calm, so I'm hoping to make her a total firecracker, angry, and passionate about her feelings.

**sPaRkzZz: **Thank you very much for your review! I'm trying to work out an update schedule, but with how school and work go it's hard now. And I'm excited for everyone to see how the story develops.

**IssabellaGirl:** Thank you for the continual support for Ch. 1 and Ch. 2! I wasn't feeling very confident about Ch.2, but thank you for the confidence booster! It helps a lot that you like the story!

**Thanks to**: GraceQuinn11, Green-Nana-Neko89, Sassi15, alwaysremembergirlcode, and kanna-yamamoto for adding the story to your favorites! I really appreciate it!

**Thanks to:**C.J. Spells, GraceQuinn11, Green-Nana-Neko89, Kim-83, Sassi15, TJRed, Tardis. , alainwonderland, alwaysremembergirlcode, sPaRkzZz, spectrum700, and zazanis for following this story!

Sorry for such a long author's note guys! I just want to thank everyone properly.

You're all rock stars! Thanks for reading!

I hope you all have a great rest of the day and a super amazing day tomorrow!

-GirlonFire


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter_**_ **4**_  
_Poison _

I woke up bright and early before training. Estella was still asleep and Winston was the only one fully awake. I had a banana for breakfast and went down to the lobby. Plutarch was waiting for me.

"Well?" I asked hugging my coat tightly around my body. There was a colder breeze this morning, but it was still going to be warm-ish.

Plutarch owed me a favor or two. I could only think of one thing, though. He had to sign me out, claiming he trusted that I wouldn't cause problems. Some Peacekeepers came to pick me up and we got in Capitol cars.

We got to a small building on the outskirts of the Capitol. It looked barely lived in and had a haunted feel to it. I let out a shiver and the Peacekeepers walked me in.

"Mrs. Odair is here to visit Annie Cresta." A Peacekeeper said, handing the Capitol attendant my note from Plutarch.

"Great." A Capitol woman with large purple hair said.

"Only one person is allowed to see her. I'm afraid you will have to wait out here." She said to the Peacekeepers. They nodded and sat in the waiting room.

"I'm Erika." She said shaking my hand.

"I'm Aria." I said with a small smile.

"If there are any problems, please don't hesitate to call. Ms. Cresta has some moments where she's great and some where she's a little _unhinged_." Erika said as I nodded once.

"You'll be going into a high-security room. We'll be right around the corner." Erika said unlocking the door.

"You keep the door locked?" I asked. Annie would definitely go mad if she didn't have human contact! Isolation is terrible for a lonely mind.

"Only at nights. We can't have her running off somewhere." Erika said as I stepped inside. Erika slammed the door shut behind me and I could hear her quick footsteps running down the hallway.

"Hello Annie. My name is Aria." I said gently. Annie turned so she could see my face. Her startling green eyes bore into mine and I shivered. Her face was gaunt and her hair was frizzy.

"It's nice to meet you." She said, hesitantly.

"Do you get many visitors?" I asked.

"None. I'm not normally allowed to have any." Annie said. My heart throbbed and skipped a beat. I nodded my head and helped myself to a chair next to her bed.

Her finger nails were caked in blood. She had long scratches running up and down her arms. What was she doing to herself? She noticed me staring at her nails, too!

"I get bored." She said.

"That's okay. I'm going to be your friend." I said smiling.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to have friends, Aria." Annie said frowning.

"We can make some exceptions. Besides, I won't have long any way." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Why?" Annie asked.

"There's a new rule. I'm going into the Hunger Games and have no chance." I said cautiously, testing the waters.

"Finnick and Mags are, too." She said as tears leaked out of her eyes. My heart made another throb and I struggled to breathe. I don't know what came over me!

"Shh... it's okay." I cooed kneeling in front of her and hugging her shoulders. She sobbed into my shoulders and I stroked her back. Once she calmed down a bit, she pulled away and looked into my eyes.

"Keep him safe. For me. I don't care what you have to do, just keep him safe." Annie said.

"I will. I promise." I said nodding my head. She slumped back into her seat and wiped the remaining tears on the sleeve of her sweater.

"If you're going to keep him safe, do whatever you have to." Annie said, calming down. I grabbed her hand and wrapped my fingers around hers. She seemed shocked by the human contact, but I figured this was the best time I had to tell her what was going to happen.

"Annie, I'm already protecting Finnick." I said cautiously, trying to think about where I wanted to begin.

"How?" She asked as I sighed.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Annie said, quickly. I couldn't back out of this. Annie needed to know!

"Well, I figured out a way to get him out of seeing his Capitol clients." I said, trying to sound upbeat.

"How did you manage to pull that one off? Did you threaten Snow or something?" Annie asked, laughing.

"No," I said taking a deep breath, "I agreed to marry Finnick."

Annie's breath caught and she seemed to be struggling to word something.

"Y-you're marrying him?" Annie asked, timidly.

"Yes, there is a group of people who don't like Snow very much. Finnick, Mags, and I are in that group. In order for the Capitol to become more unhappy and short-tempered, Finnick had to marry someone everyone knew he didn't like. I was that person." I said, trying to vaguely explain the rebellion as best I could. But Annie was making it so difficult! She was so innocent and pure, it was like I was speaking to a baby.

"You don't really love him?" Annie asked.

"I can't afford to love anyone, Annie. Snow punishes me through the people I love." I said hesitantly.

"So you don't love anymore?" Annie asked.

I shook my head and Annie looked at me with pity. Why? She was the one who was stuck here! How could she honestly look at someone besides herself with pity?

"Can you act like you love him? For me?" Annie asked.

"I'm doing my best. I promise. I already had to start acting." I said quietly.

"Aria, Finnick doesn't deserve this." Annie said.

"I know he doesn't. He doesn't want to act like he loves me either. He still likes you." I said.

"He needs to move on. We both do. Clearly, Snow made it pretty positive that I'm unstable. I've moved on, he needs to next." Annie said.

"I don't want to rush him. He's still very upset about how things worked out." I said hesitantly.

"You need to help him. Get him to love again." Annie said.

"That's impossible." I said shaking a head.

"Try. Please, try. I'll only blame you if you don't try." Annie said as I shivered. She's going to hate me if I don't make Finnick get over her.

"I'll try my hardest to get him to love something. Right now, he's running on machine mode. I think he's more sad than he's letting on." I said.

"Can you talk to him today? Do it for me, please. Maybe if you get to know how he operates, acting in love will be easier too." Annie said. It made sense and it was pretty smart.

"I don't even really know him." I said sadly.

"Get to know him first, be his friend. Get him to trust and open up to you." Annie said.

"Thanks for the advice. But there's something else I have to do for the little club too." I said as Annie nodded.

"I have to keep the Careers away from Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Do you know who they are? They're the victors from the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games. Finnick and Mags are going to be their allies and I have to keep the Careers away from them." I said.

"You're doing a lot! How will you find time for both?" Annie asked.

"I don't know. It's a struggle. The Careers seem to be a bit suspicious of me because Finnick and I. But they're going to get bored of me eventually." I said, forgetting who I was talking to. Why was I telling her about this? We should be talking about rainbows and sunshine! To be honest, I forgot Annie was insane for a while.

"How about we talk about something a little happier?" Annie suggested. I smiled appreciatively and she poured more tea. We sipped on tea and watched the sunrise. Annie had a huge French-arch in her room as a window. I'm surprised some other patients here haven't attempted to jump yet. She had a gorgeous view and a couch facing the window. This was probably the most extravagant thing in the room!

"It's beautiful." Annie said.

"It's too bright." I said shaking my head, making Annie laugh.

"The sunrise is the only reminder I have that the days go on." Annie said as I nodded. Somehow, we got on a sadder topic again.

"So what do you like to do? Do you paint or have a hobby or something?" I asked.

"I like to read. But other than that, no hobby. What about you?" Annie asked.

"I don't even read. I have no hobbies." I said.

"You should read this book I have! It's amazing. I love it and I always have!" Annie said, getting up and looking through some drawer on the nightstand. She pulled out a small book and handed it to me. It was some romance novel called Romeo and Juliet. It was very old and very dusty.

"Thank you Annie." I said.

"And it's symbolic. Finnick knows I love that book! If you read it, maybe he'll put two and two together." Annie said.

"The thing is he can't know I visited you, though. Or else he'd blow the marriage thing that's driving the Capitol citizens insane." I said as Annie nodded. There was a knock on the door and Erika poked her head in.

"Ladies, it's time for Aria to go." Erika said.

"Will you visit me tomorrow? I like having the company." Annie said looking at me. She seemed so sad and so lonely, it made me feel awful! Half of me shouldn't visit her, but I had to.

"Of course. I'll be here tomorrow morning." I said smiling. Annie grinned and pulled me into a hug.

"Ready?" Erika asked as I put my coat on.

"Wait. I want to give Aria something." Annie said, looking through her drawer again. She pulled out a pretty necklace. It was a seashell necklace made from District Four. She clipped it around my neck and grinned.

"Thank you Annie. For everything." I said pulling her into a hug.

I was led down the hallway and was escorted into the Capitol car again. The Peacekeepers dropped me off at the training center and I went to get ready for training. Once I did, I opened the book Annie gave me.

It was in some language that I didn't understand! Why? How could it honestly be so good if you could barely understand the language? I know it is old English or Elizabethan or something like that. But why wouldn't it get edited again?

I still had about an hour before training. I went down to Finnick's floor and just walked in. The avoxes seemed shocked upon my arrival. Mags was eating breakfast and Finnick was nowhere to be seen. But I could hear the shower running from somewhere.

"Hi Mags. How are you this morning?" I asked as she smiled and nodded. She patted my hand and I sat next to her.

"Can I tell you something secret?" I asked as Mags looked serious and nodded. She moved her hand to the small of my back and I felt oddly comforted. I could tell Mags anything.

"Please don't tell Finnick this. But I went to see Annie this morning." I said.

Mags looked thoroughly shocked. She seemed very confused too. I decided that I'd better explain myself a little better.

"She's moved on. She's over him. She wants him to move on! She understands the vague idea of what's going on. She gave me advice on what to do. This necklace? It's hers. And she gave me some romance book that's in another language!" I said.

The hot water stopped and there were footsteps.

"Aria, what are you doing here?" Finnick asked, thoroughly shocked. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. I blushed and tried to look away. I forced myself not to stare and squirmed uncomfortably. Finnick grinned at my discomfort.

"Nothing, I was just talking to Mags about something." I said.

"Anything new?" Finnick asked.

"Put some clothes on Finnick. And it's only a new book I started reading. It's called Romeo and Juliet." I said as Finnick nodded slowly.

"I don't understand the language of it though." I said shaking my head.

Finnick smirked.

"It's the language of love." Finnick said, flirtatiously. I rolled my eyes, but my flushed face gave me away. Why did he do this to me? Did he find satisfaction in seeing me be humiliated by my emotions? I honestly think he made a hobby out of humiliating people by flirting.

"Aw, does little Aria get dazzled easily?" Finnick asked.

"No. Now, put some clothes on." I said, quickly changing the subject.

Finnick let out a laugh and went to change. I sighed in relief and Mags grinned. She patted my hand sympathetically and got up to go into her room. Finnick came back out and sat across from me.

"Do you flirt with Katniss like this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you jealous?" Finnick asked.

"Well you're only allies. Imagine what the Capitol would do if you cheated on me!" I said laughing.

"Imagine what they would do if _you_ cheated on _me_." Finnick said as I laughed.

"I'm the favorite, sociable one of this relationship. They don't expect me to be tied down by anyone!" Finnick said.

"They tried to get me to be like that too. I've always been too independent though. Following someone else's orders wasn't part of my deal." I said shaking my head. Maybe I could try to get Finnick more comfortable with me if he learned a bit about me?

"What happened? They don't take rejection lightly." Finnick said.

"What do you honestly think happen? They punished me through my family. He killed them on my sixteenth birthday and I've been completely alone ever since." I said.

"All alone? But you have me." Finnick said.

"I know, and it's swell. But I can't. I can't afford to love someone." I said.

"You can't afford to love someone? I'm afraid. What if I mess up again and you get put where Annie went?" Finnick asked. Was this a breakthrough? Did this count as one? I honestly don't know. I think it proved that Annie was right about mostly everything.

"Finnick, they can't just get rid of me that easy. I'm the annoying pest that they wish they could get rid of." I said as Finnick smiled.

"I have to get ready for training." Finnick said as I nodded.

"I'll see you at training. I should get ready to run into the Careers." I said.

Finnick began walking me to the elevator.

"Will you be at the meeting tonight?" Finnick asked.

"Of course!" I said grinning.

"Maybe we could finish our conversation then." Finnick said as I nodded. Was he offering to engage in a conversation like this? Did he actually want to talk things out? Finnick pushed the elevator button and it quickly came.

"See you in an hour." I said as the doors shut.

I walked back to my floor and met with Brutus. He was on his way to pick up Cashmere and Gloss.

"I'll come too!" I said grinning. Brutus grunted something, inaudibly. He really should try to form words instead of grunting. No one can understand what he is saying!

Cashmere chatted on and on about my engagement.

"In a way, it's kind of like poisonous love. Because it's so recent after Annie Cresta was taken away and I think he's a little hesitant. He blames himself for her being taken." Cashmere said all-knowingly. But how did she know?

Maybe she was wiser than she let on. But she was right about something.

This love was poison.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone! Nothing like a Saturday night update, huh? I love the weekends! School is such a drag, but I'm happy to tell everyone that I got my highest final grade in my hardest class! I got a 93% in my Human Physiology and Anatomy class! Yay! I'm so beyond thrilled, that's what this chapter was!

**GraceQuinn11**: Thanks again for the great review! I'm trying to make Finnick and Aria similar, but also very different. I mean every character is different, but I'm trying to accentuate how they're different. I think both of them protect who needs to be protected and they're both very brave. But they're different types of brave. Aria is outwardly know as brave, whereas Finnick is known as a flirt.

**sPaRkzZz**: Thanks again for the review, I appreciate it! And thanks for being so understanding about the whole schedule thing. Your review was so reassuring, so thank you so much! Work is always pretty busy, but I try to keep my weekdays free from working unless it's absolutely necessary. And since finals are finally done after our snow days, it's a little less hectic!

**RJ**: To be completely honest, this chapter was a little bit of a surprise to me. Your review kind of inspired me to add so much Annie in this! I started thinking about if she was allowed to watch the Hunger Games and the news regarding it. And so, this chapter was born all thanks to you! Thank you for reading and being so inspiring!

**IssabellaGirl**: I was trying to make the proposal seem like something that no one would expect! I'm glad to know I succeeded. Now all I need to do is find something for the surprise that I can't mention now because it's a surprise for the readers. Did you honestly think I was going to slip up on the plot so easily? Haha! Thanks for the review!

**Green-Nana-Neko89**: Haha, I try to go in order of how everyone reviews. But I'm glad you liked being mentioned first. I think there are some chapters where a little bit of a shocker is a good thing! Ch. 3 was definitely one of those chapters. I think I was mostly trying to shock everyone, as funny as that sounds. Because I wanted to make Aria seem really oblivious. I think Aria is beginning to get through to Finnick, now that he's letting her. So that's something to look forward to.

**Thanks to everyone who followed this story and especially the newest follower:** ashbandicoot! **Thanks so much for the support! **Ashbandicoot **also added this story to their favorites!** **It is greatly appreciated and thank you so much!**

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! I don't know if I can ever thank you all enough for liking the story, reviewing it, following it, and adding it to your favorites! You're all my inspirations and I get inspired by you!

-GirlonFire


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5  
**__Midnight  
_In Honor of Philip Seymour Hoffman (February 2nd, 2014)- the best Plutarch Heavensbee I could have ever imagined.

On the first day of training, I decided to get the survival stuff done in the morning. I went to the Healing station, the Edible Plants station, and snares. I had mystery snares that stunned everyone. I was at the most advanced level on my snares.

I went to knives and hand-to-hand combat. The careers seemed pretty impressed, but also kind of suspicious. They were worried about me telling Finnick about their plans and secrets.

I sat by the Careers at lunch and tried to get them to divulge their secrets to me. I just wanted to be included! I was struggling, though. As soon as lunch ended, I went to go try my hands at spears.

They were harder than knives were, though. They were top-heavy and required more strength and speed. I had the completely wrong stance too. And the trainer was being perverted and offered to 'fix and align my hips'. I quickly dodged that station.

But in my haste to get away, I ran into someone. It was only Finnick, though.

"Sorry, the spears trainer was being unnecessarily creepy." I said shivering.

Finnick laughed and everyone turned to stare at us.

"Later?" I asked, double checking if he was still going to talk to me about some things. Finnick nodded and we parted ways.

I continued on with the rest of training, thinking about Annie. Did Finnick put two and two together? It was a bit of a stretch to put it together, but if Annie thought he could do it so did I.

Training ended quickly and I went to shower up. My back was a little tense before the meeting. I overextended my elbow when I was trying to throw some spears. I couldn't move my arm at all. Getting dressed for the meeting was quite a chore.

"Where are you going?" Brutus demanded. Why should I tell him stuff if he won't tell me stuff?

"Somewhere." I said, flipping my hair over my shoulder and walking to the elevator. I went down to the conference room and I was the last one there. And I was on time! Everyone else was just early.

"What's up?" I asked casually sitting down.

"We need everyone to synchronize their tokens. Obviously, Aria's will be her wedding ring." Plutarch said.

"But shouldn't Finnick's be the wedding ring, too?" Johanna asked.

"Well, he needs to keep Haymitch's bracelet. So Katniss knows that she can't kill him." Plutarch said.

"If Finnick isn't wearing the ring, neither am I." I said, taking it off.

"Do you have another token or something?" Haymitch asked.

"Yes. It's from District Four, so we could say Finnick gave it to me. But if Finnick isn't wearing a ring, neither am I." I said crossing my arms.

"Fine, Aria. What is it anyway?" Plutarch asked.

"A necklace." I said shrugging my shoulders.

Everyone had to write what their tokens were on a piece of paper. But I couldn't move my arm.

"Johanna, can you put mine down?" I asked.

"Why can't you?" She asked.

"I overextended my elbow today in training and can't move my arm." I said shaking my head. Johanna wrote my name and necklace by it.

"Thanks." I said as she nodded once. We talked about keeping Katniss, Finnick, Peeta, and Mags directly away from me.

"But how will we know if we're okay?" Finnick asked.

"The synchronized tokens." Plutarch said.

"How will they work?" I asked.

"Well, they'll alert every one of their closeness, heart rate, and temperature. Also, if you push a button in them, it'll vibrate and that will be used to tell the others that you're okay. Especially for Aria, we want to track this as much as possible." Plutarch said.

"Track what?" Finnick asked.

"The Careers are going to get bored with me, Finnick. I'm nothing special. I can tie some rope and throw some knives. But look at me now. I can barely move my arm!" I said getting a little angry. If I hadn't volunteered, I could only imagine how different everything would be.

"Aria, they won't get bored with you." Finnick said.

"Finnick, it's a proven fact! They do it almost every year and I instructed them to do it!" I said.

"How long should we wait before panicking if someone doesn't vibrate back?" Seeder asked, frowning.

"I don't know. Three hours?" Haymitch said shrugging his shoulders.

"Is that enough time, though? What happens if we're dying and don't have time to push it!" Cecelia said.

"If you're dying, you don't have to push it. The hovercraft won't pick up any moving objects that are breathing." I said bluntly. Everyone shivered at my words.

None of us wanted to die, I don't think. But I also think we were willing to if it was necessary. As long as we died and Katniss lived, it didn't matter.

Finnick looked like he wanted to object to the plan. Plutarch was doing this for me, though. He knew I wanted a form of secret communication with the others. And he was doing this in a crazy attempt to honor me for when the Careers do get bored.

"Finnick, even if I do survive, it's not like you can come save me. You can't compromise Mags, Peeta, and Katniss like that." I said, taking a deep breath.

"Who's going to save you?" Wiress asked quietly. She seemed petrified. Her big brown eyes were huge! She was still a little loopy from her Games and talking about this isn't helping anyone. But no one stopped the conversation.

"I don't need saving. I never have and never will, especially not now." I said shaking my head.

"Alright, I'm not going to make any specific person unhappy. But how about this? If any of us run across Aria and she's severely injured but still alive, we'll save her?" Beetee asked.

"Fine." Finnick said.

"That wasn't implied to you, Finnick. It was for everyone else. I mean it, keep Everdeen and Mellark alive. Focus on me second." I said.

"But imagine what the Capitol will see." Finnick said pleadingly.

"No, Finnick. Forget about them, once you're in the Games. Just remember to keep Everdeen and Mellark safe, no matter what. No one's safety is guaranteed in this, and we need to respect that. I'm not an exception to that rule." I said shaking my head.

"We can't spend all meeting, talking about this. Work it out among yourselves. We need to move on." Plutarch said.

"What are everyone's angles going to be for the interviews?" Effie asked, speaking up.

"I'll be getting married, so I guess overjoyed." I said shrugging my shoulders. Finnick nodded his head, but didn't say anything. Did I ruin all the progress I just started to make? Annie was going to hate me if I did! A trill of fear instantly ran through my veins.

"I can see Johanna as being incredibly angry. Like she was at the reaping." Blight said as I smiled. Johanna could pull it off. She was naturally angry, like me.

We worked it out, so everyone was something different. No one overlapped on the same angle. But I think Finnick and I were the only people who were supposed to be happy about the Games.

"Aria, what are you going to say at the interviews?" Plutarch asked.

"That the Games are good for something. It brought Finnick and me together." I said, dully. It was about as believable as any other lie.

"Put passion into it." Johanna said as I nodded once.

"I think that's everything for now." Plutarch said as Finnick grabbed my overextended arm.

"Finnick, this is the arm that is over-extended." I said.

"I can tell. It's a little swollen." Finnick said.

He pulled me to the elevator and hit the roof button. We sped off and I pulled my arm away.

"I have a trick. It's like massage therapy for dislocated joints and over-extension." Finnick said grabbing my arm again.

"Be gentle." I said pleadingly. Finnick nodded and began rubbing my elbow. It was weird. It didn't do much, and then he cracked it back into place.

"Ow!" I yelled, punching his arm.

"Sorry. But isn't it better?" Finnick asked.

It was better. I mean, it was a little bruised. But it was great! I could move my arm again! I stretched it out. While I was investigating my newly healed arm, Finnick walked over to a stone bench and sat down. I sat next to him.

"I can't let myself know someone like I knew Annie." Finnick said.

"I understand." I said.

"I wish you didn't. You're too nice to me! I've been terrible to you, but you're just letting me go?" Finnick demanded.

"Finnick, you've lost someone. I know what that feels like. I'm not completely heartless." I said shaking my head.

"If you were, you wouldn't blush so much. How's that book coming, anyway?" Finnick asked, grinning. It was a very sly dig at the 'language of romance'.

"It's a noble effort." I said as Finnick laughed.

We were silent for a while. We sat in the moonlight and I stretched my legs out. Finnick was staring at something just above me. I tried to follow his gaze, but I couldn't find it.

"What?" I asked as he blinked once and shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing." He said quickly. I nodded slowly and we sat in silence.

"Do you want to know about me?" Finnick asked. Was this the golden moment that Annie set me up for? Hesitantly, I nodded my head and looked into his eyes. He seemed kind of scared, but he shouldn't be. Honestly, I already dealt with so much. Finnick's probably going to tell me that he baked some cake for Mags and ended out burning it. And besides, I don't judge.

"I was sixteen years old and Snow brought me into the Capitol. He offered me the same thing he offered you. But I said yes. As much as I wish I hadn't, I'm glad I did." Finnick said.

"It's one of my worst regrets. Saying no was probably the stupidest things I've ever done." I said shaking my head.

"Do you honestly wish you said yes?" Finnick asked.

"I could still have a family, if I said yes." I said.

"But you wouldn't be able to see them much because Snow would have you away on Capitol business." Finnick said.

"Finnick, don't get a bigger ego than you already have. But your cause is noble. I wish I was brave enough and selfless enough to say yes." I said quietly.

"I said yes and I still don't have a family. I have Mags and they only let me keep her around so they can threaten me more. I had a family once and I had a nice girlfriend, but they ruined everything." Finnick said.

"Just like me? I tend to ruin things." I asked.

"Where did that come from?" Finnick asked.

"You want to know why I was mute for so long, correct?" I asked.

"I thought it was your family's deaths." Finnick asked.

"It was a little of that. But that year, Snow decided to pull all the Victors around for some celebration. I just turned sixteen and already, my life was ruined. I was a little shy, but everyone took it as antisocial. Johanna said it added to my total craziness and everyone caught on. That's when people originally began deeming me as crazy." I said.

"And I had to talk to you. I said you were selfish, right? And that you ruined everything you touched?" Finnick asked as I nodded.

"So you went mute?" Finnick asked again as I nodded.

"I drove you to become a mute." Finnick said.

"No, the honesty drove me to become mute. If I hadn't spoken against Snow, maybe I would have a family! If I hadn't spoken at all, everything would be different." I said as Finnick didn't say anything for a while.

The cold wind picked up and I shivered. My hair was blowing in the breeze and I shut my eyes.

"What time is it?" Finnick asked.

"It looks about midnight." I said as he nodded.

"You know what the real killer is, though?" I asked.

"What?" Finnick asked.

"I'm a killer in more ways than one." I said.

"What do you mean?" He asked as the bronze in his hair reflected in the moonlight. Why did I bring this up?

"The whole craziness thing was Snow's doing too. All Victors are crazy, but he classified me as crazy. Shortly after he killed my family, I was angry and looked for revenge. I took care of his daughter and her husband. Johanna helped me, too." I said. The look Finnick gave me was disarming. He believed I was truly insane! He was never going to talk to me again!

He should be somewhat afraid, though. I am crazy. And not the good kind, either. Now Snow's granddaughter lives with him because her parents are dead by my hands.

I was lost in thought. For the first time in six years, I was completely lost to the point of no return. I stared at the moon and didn't stare at anything else. I think my brain imploded or something along those lines. I was a total goner.

I was afraid to look at Finnick. What if he thought I was a total monster? I couldn't take another person thinking I was a monster. And then Finnick made my sanity completely disappear.

He kissed me.

* * *

I was a little shocked myself to explain Aria's craziness to Finnick. I mean, this was the original idea. But it was so... strange. I thought it'd be nice to make this one have a Finnick/Aria moment. And the kiss was in honor of Philip Seymour Hoffman. I was rushing to get this chapter out Sunday, but I wanted it to at least have _some_ quality to it before posting.

**IssabellaGirl**: Thanks again for the totally sweet review! Tehe, I guess for the next few chapters, I'll tell you: expect some unexpected. I'm trying to go somewhat out of the box. I can't wait to put out the rest of it!

**sPaRkzZz**: Haha, thanks for the review! I don't know, I guess I feel that the reviewers should get some response, since they responded to the story.

Thanks to: **Narsilia Lyanna Elendil ** for following this story!

I'm sorry for rushing out this chapter. I literally started this at 8 p.m. Sunday night in an attempt to get it out that night. And I failed. Sorry guys. But I just thought it was very important to honor Philip Seymour Hoffman properly. So, forgive any grammatical/spelling mistakes!

Are my chapters a good length for everyone? With the exception of this one (It's a bit shorter than most of them), what do you guys think?

Also, do you guys prefer center-spaced text (like how my Author's notes are) or the side-spaced text? Or does it not matter? I'm just asking to make this better for the readers and the followers.

So please respond to the questions, one way or another.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I'll probably post again if we have another snow day this week. We're supposed to have some heavy snow!

-GirlonFire


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6  
**__Chasing Answers_

I didn't remember what happened next. I don't know how I was feeling: mad or sad? I think I was a little of both. My anger turned to sadness often. My moods were terrible. Brutus faced the brunt of my frustration.

My stomach was in knots and my knees were shaky. My fingers were always cold, but now they were even colder! My limbs felt like ice. I thought I was going to throw up- I had such bad butterflies.

I wandered back to my room and flounced on my bed. I didn't have any problems trying to fall asleep that night.

I was running late to training. I fell asleep sometime around four in the morning and woke up at nine-thirty. Training starts at ten every day. I had to rush to get ready to leave with Brutus.

When we left, we caught up with Gloss and Cashmere.

"So how's the royal wedding going?" Gloss asked.

"I don't know. The Capitol is doing everything." I said shrugging my shoulders. Cashmere pulled me off and we went to knives. I easily beat her. And she even had me teach her a few tips!

"Have you seen your dress yet?" Cashmere asked.

"No, I want to be surprised." I said as she nodded.

"Ladies." Finnick said joining. I furrowed my eyebrows. What was he doing? Was he trying to stop my progress with the Careers?

"Finnick." Cashmere said, grinning flirtatiously. She twirled her hair and winked. So that's why she wanted to know about the wedding? She was jealous.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I was just wondering if I could borrow you for a minute, Aria." Finnick said.

"Take her. I'll be here practicing when you get back." Cashmere said rolling her eyes.

"What are you doing?" I whisper-hissed to Finnick.

"I'm not trying to wreck your Career-status or anything. I just want to explain myself." Finnick said.

"No need. I understand everything." I said.

"You do?" Finnick asked.

"You want someone to be there. Finnick, this act we're playing isn't real. You don't love me like that. You just want an Annie-replacement." I said.

"Aria, that's not it." Finnick said shaking his head.

"You don't need to lie, Finnick. It won't help you any. Just be honest with yourself." I said shaking my head.

"I am! And I'm trying to tell you, honestly, what happened last night." Finnick said.

"You and I both know what happened last night. You got lonely. It happens all the time!" I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Aria, no!" Finnick said, getting frustrated.

"Well what is it then?" I asked, very confused. I thought I knew why Finnick kissed me.

"Nothing. I can't tell you without you being completely willing to see it." Finnick said, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry." I said numbly.

"I'll try again later." Finnick said running a hand through his hair.

"Wait- why am I apologizing? You should be apologizing to me! You kissed me without my permission." I said.

"And I'm trying to explain and apologize for it. But you think you're a genius who understands more than she actually does! You're being stupid." Finnick said, making the Number One Girl Mistake: never- and I mean never- called the girl 'stupid' or 'dumb'.

"I'm sorry I'm so stupid." I said bitterly. I walked back out to Cashmere and she looked up grinning. I put a fake grin on my face.

"Wipe the grin off. Trouble in paradise?" She asked.

"I-I need to excuse myself." I said as my voice cracked. I went into the bathroom. I sat on the counter and hugged my arms. What was happening to me? Why was I so upset over this? I've been called things that are way worse than stupid.

I took a drink of water and studied my face. Something was missing. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was gone. It's been gone for so long, that I don't even know what I'm looking for.

Johanna came into the bathroom.

"You've been in here for like ten minutes. We thought you were either having a bad time with lady stuff or were having an emotional breakdown." Johanna said.

"Am I stupid?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Johanna asked.

"Am I stupid about being in love?" I asked.

"Oh, that. Yeah, Finnick was talking to Blight. I don't think you're stupid. I think you're out of your element." Johanna said.

"How am I supposed to feel?" I asked.

"I don't know. Sorry, though. How do you want to feel?" Johanna asked.

"Jo, I don't know what love feels like. How am I supposed to know if I love Finnick?" I said shrilly.

"I can't answer that question for you. It's something you have to figure out yourself." Johanna said.

"That's what he was trying to tell me? He said I have to be willing to see it." I said.

"Are you going to stay holed up in the bathroom all day or are you going to show Finnick you can fully work? They're having sword duels." Johanna said.

"I may as well stay here, then. I don't use swords." I said.

"Why not?" Johanna asked.

"My Games. It was my weapon. I haven't picked one up since the Games." I said as Johanna wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me out of the bathroom.

Brutus and Woof were going at it with swords. Woof was barely hanging on! And then he got thrown off the mat.

"Any other challengers?" Brutus grunted. It got scary quiet. No one was going to challenge Brutus! Looks like it was up to me, then.

"Me." I said coolly. Johanna winked at me and I grinned. I took Woof's sword from him and Brutus and I started attacking.

Brutus was really good. He put me on the defensive almost instantly. I hit the hilt of his sword and he grunted. I started going offensive and Brutus couldn't even keep up. I, shamefully, was too good at swords.

Brutus was forced to give up. I turned around to see Katniss glaring at me. I was a threat to her and Peeta. She knew it, too. I wasn't concerned about being allies with her, though.

"We have a new victor! Does anyone wish to challenge her?" A trainer asked the mass of people around. Gloss stepped up and took Brutus' sword. I had an instant victory with Gloss and no one wanted to challenge me. It didn't feel like I accomplished very much, though. It felt like I was doing a good job of making everyone afraid of me.

On that note, training ended and I ran off to shower up before our meeting. There was a fighting simulator at the meeting and I was the tester. Plutarch was pretty impressed with my sword skills and I forced a smile.

I critiqued everyone on their sword skills. It wasn't that fun. Some people weren't sword people!

"Oh look, more recaps are on." Cecelia said looking at the television.

"What recaps?" I asked.

"Of the Games. They're showing all the tribute's Games to honor them." Johanna said. They were right in the middle of mine. Finnick was lucky; he didn't have to watch his Games.

I watched my recaps with a numb expression on my face. Watching it brought back too many painful memories.

"Aria?" Beetee asked.

"Huh? Can you repeat that please?" I asked, snapping out of my flashbacks. I normally didn't miss anything when people were talking to me. I was more absorbed in my Games and the recaps.

"Are you okay?" Beetee asked.

"I'm fine." I said as my eyes welled up for no reason. I'd already almost cried once today, I couldn't afford to cry again.

I blinked away tears and ran a hand through my hair. Everyone seemed to be looking at me.

"Umm... what's the plan of attack for the interview day?" Finnick asked, changing the subject. I sighed in relief.

"Well, you and Aria should have a busy day. It starts at nine in the morning with your wedding photo shoot around the Capitol. Your wedding takes place at 2 p.m. And then you'll go into your interviews, wearing completely different outfits. And after the interviews, Snow is holding your wedding party. And you must change into your wedding outfits again for the wedding party. Snow wants a few pictures." Plutarch said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he feels he should be more involved." Plutarch said.

"Not that. Why do we have to change so much?" I asked.

"We already have one District wearing wedding gear for the interviews, we can't have two more." Plutarch said as I nodded.

We ended the meeting there. Beetee and Plutarch were talking about the finer points of the plan. I wouldn't have to worry about it though. I wouldn't be alive for that long.

"I'm going to take an early night. I don't think I'll get much sleep on the interview day." I said. Finnick and I never talked about 'our wedding day', we always talked about the 'interview day'. I think we reached a mutual agreement about the wedding. But then again, I thought we had an agreement about getting the mushy feelings before the Games. Apparently, we didn't have an agreement about that and I got called stupid because of it.

I walked to the elevator and went up. I dragged my feet to my room and closed the door.

I changed into my pajamas, which consisted of black and white silky pajama shorts and a black tank top. I crawled into my bed and turned off the lights.

Unfortunately, I had a terrifying nightmare. I woke up screaming. No one came for me, though. Estella must have been out and Winston was probably snoring.

My nightmare was probably more terrifying than my Games were. My family was afraid of me when I got out of the Games. My brother wouldn't talk to me unless he was forced to. My own parents were afraid of me! And they were right to be afraid. Everyone in the District thought I was great and glorious, but they feared me too. I was a monster that everyone feared.

I pried the sweaty sheets off my body and let my hair out of the braid I left it in. My hair fell in little blond waves that were actually kind of pretty, despite the massive amounts of sweat that was making my hair stick to my face.

I got out of bed and tiptoed to the elevator. I tried to be as quiet as I could. I didn't want to wake up the avoxes.

I went up to the roof, but someone was there already. It was Johanna. I know I can talk to her about anything, but she's crabby when she doesn't sleep. Instead of saying hello, I shut the elevator doors and went down to the fourth floor. It was only ten o'clock.

Avoxes were asleep and the lights were off. Finnick and Mags must have been in bed already. I didn't want to wake anyone.

And then someone came out of the bathroom. They were quiet and stealthy. I had a feeling it was Mags. Finnick would be much louder.

"Mags?" I asked as she stepped closer to me.

We shared a look and she patted my arm. She led me to a room.

I hesitantly knocked.

"Mags, I told you I just want to sleep. I don't want to talk now." Finnick grumbled from inside.

"It doesn't sound like you're sleeping from out here." I said lightly. Mags smiled and went to her room.

Finnick opened the door. He stood in a pair of boxers and nothing else.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, harshly. I winced and looked at my feet. I felt a little embarrassed to have to wake someone up to help me with a nightmare. My face got warm and I studied the rope-made rug under my feet. The rug was very detailed for rope. In fact, it was kind of pretty. In an artistic and abstract way.

"I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you for the night?" I asked quietly. Finnick let out a sigh.

"Come in." Finnick said, letting me in. To say it surprised me was an understatement. I thought he was mad at me.

If possible, Finnick's bed was even bigger than mine! It was too big for one person. I sat down on one side and felt the bed shift. He had a water-bed!

"What was your dream about?" Finnick asked.

"I- Can I tell you in the morning?" I asked shyly.

"Sure. Let's just get to bed." Finnick said pulling the covers over both of us. The lights went out and I whimpered. I grabbed Finnick's arm and scooted closer to him.

"What?" Finnick asked.

"I'm afraid of the dark." I said quietly. I'm not afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of what's in it. I feel like I can't ever really close my eyes or else something bad will happen while they're closed. And then, I'll have to open my eyes to find something uglier than what I started with.

I waited for Finnick to say something. He was going to make fun of me or something. I waited for the harsh blow to my self-esteem.

"I'll protect you." Finnick said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I nodded and my eyelids fluttered shut.

The nightmares never came back. Finnick scared them off.

* * *

**I AM SOOO SORRY!** While you all were being super amazing and awesome readers/ followers, I was busy with school and family and stuff like that! I can never apologize enough and I can't make excuses for not updating in a while, but here's what happened.

1. I had a retreat for a whole weekend with a group of friends from school. We went to a conference out-of-town. Since the school group was about leadership and helping the environment, I slept outside. In cardboard boxes. For the whole weekend. WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICITY!

2. I was so busy with school. Overall, last week, I had 2 finals, one presentation, a project, a lot of quizzes, and a whole lot of studying to do. Yikes...

3. I simply had writers' block. And that's probably the worst excuse of them all. But after I made Finnick and Aria kiss in chapter 5, I had no clue how to follow up. How does one simply kiss and then attempt an explanation? My brain may never know. Seriously, I spent most of the time I didn't use updating, trying to figure out where to go.

In the end, I decided to make Aria _think_ she knew everything there was to know about Finnick. But she doesn't. And she won't for a long time. However, I also feel that you can't call someone a rude name (I.E. stupid) for not understanding. I also think Aria's a little frantic from everything that's going on. She's getting married in 3 days, she's going to die in the Hunger Games (_maybe, maybe not_), she has to ally up with the Careers, and Katniss and Peeta are being difficult for her.

**Thanks to:** Angelic324, NamikazeMia, Onesmartcookie78, The-Dark-Love-Writer, Cato-lover28, justjthomp, roelaine, and  .129 for adding this story to their favorites! The support is greatly appreciated, so thank you for being rock stars while I was M.I.A.

**Thanks to:** Angelic324, NamikazeMia, The-Dark-Love-Writer, Cato-lover28, justjthomp, roelaine, and vanugh for following this story! Thanks again for the support!

**Green-NaNa-Neko89**: Sadly, I think this chapter wasn't so good. It definitely wasn't one of my favorites. It was really emotionally draining, believe it or not. I had to reach in and imagine how I would feel if something like that happened to me. And then I'd have to make Aria do the opposite, since she's like my polar opposite. However, in the last chapter, it was fun to write. I just wish I knew how much I'd have to emotionally strain myself to write the chapter after the kiss. How do you think you would react to something like that? I'm genuinely curious. Thanks again for reviewing and reading.

**sPaRkzZz**: This chapter didn't meet the normal standards and definitely not like Ch. 5. But how would you react? Would it be like Aria or something different? However, thank you for the continual support. I'm glad you're excited for the updates and the new chapters! If there's anything you'd like to see in chapters coming up, please let me know!

**IssabellaGirl**: It is so sad that he died! I think this update sucked because I wasn't in the mood from his death. However, thank you for the continual support! To be honest, I didn't expect the kiss either. It was just kind of a spur of the moment thing. I don't know how I thought of it, but in retrospect it was probably the silliest thing I've ever done! Why would I make someone kiss someone else so early in the story? I probably just made the worst mistake ever with the kiss.

**spectrum700:** Thanks again for such a kind review! I really liked your review because you answered my questions. So thank you for telling me your preferences! My chapters range from 1,500- 3,000 words. It depends on the day, I guess. I'm glad you liked the kiss, but now it feels really awkward to type! I'll try again to get another update out there tomorrow, too. Maybe I can get back to updating more often again!

Sorry for such a long authors' note guys! And I'm really sorry for being gone. If I ever do that again, someone like virtually slap me or something. To be honest, I'm kind of chasing answers myself.

If you guys could tell me some plot suggestions you'd like to see, that'd be great! Thank you all for reading and being so supportive. Many this is a really long author's note. I feel like I could write a book of just Author Notes, but that'd also bore everyone to sleep.

So, in conclusion to my long list of reasons why I suck at updates and the other normal chapter stuff, thanks for reading! Have a good week everyone!

-GirlonFire


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7  
**__The Art of Being Attractive_

I woke up and I completely forgot where I was. This wasn't my bed I was sleeping in. So whose was it? The only identification I had that someone was here was the running shower, but that wasn't much of a clue.

I sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"Morning." Finnick said, coming out of the bathroom. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Hi." I said with a small smile.

I couldn't help but check out Finnick's abs. They were quite sculpted and toned, for lack of better words. I don't really know how to describe a six-pack. I guess it comes from winning the Games and physically exerting yourself. But it was like he was trying to capture my attention. I've never been so distracted before.

"Like what you see?" Finnick asked with a smirk.

He winked and my face got really warm.

Finnick grabbed his training clothes and went into the bathroom. I sat in his bed until he came out.

"Finnick? What were you going to tell me yesterday?" I asked quietly.

"I forgot. In the heat of the moment, I guess I forgot it." Finnick said. I nodded my head slowly.

"Do you want something to eat?" Finnick asked.

"Sounds good." I said with a smile. We walked down to breakfast and I ate with Mags and Finnick. We made surprisingly light conversation.

After breakfast, I went to go change for training. It started out the same, but today we were having hand-to-hand partnered duels. I chose Finnick for my partner for obvious reasons.

We started out against Beetee and Wiress. Finnick and I won easily. We slowly worked our way up the difficulty ladder. When we got to Cashmere and Gloss, we were tired and sweating. I was going after Cashmere when she got me on my back.

Normally, if it wasn't partnered, it would've been the end. But Finnick shoved her off me and pulled me off the ground.

"Thanks. Switch?" I asked as he nodded. If Finnick could eliminate Cashmere, then the two of us could handle Gloss separately.

I started by judo-flipping Gloss. He landed on his butt with a thud. He seemed a little dazed. Cashmere got Finnick in a headlock and was whispering something to him. It seemed fairly flirtatious and I got a little jealous.

And then the cat claws came out. I threw myself at Cashmere and she was forced to let Finnick go. And then, enraged by her attitude, I judo-flipped her off the mat and she was taken out.

"Why didn't I just do that to begin with?" I asked.

"Watch out." Finnick said flipping me- literally flipping me- over his shoulder and putting me behind him. Gloss was waiting for the right moment to attack. My back was turned, Finnick was distracted. It was perfect timing- almost.

Finnick was almost mechanical. But he wasn't slipping up. I could only stand there and watch, thoroughly impressed. Gloss was clearly the bigger competitor, but he wasn't fast enough.

After twenty minutes and a water break, Finnick got Gloss off the mat.

"Good work, partner." I said, handing Finnick a cup of water. He grinned and chugged.

"Aria, why didn't you partner with one of us?" Gloss demanded.

"Did you really expect me to partner against my fiancée?" I asked raising an eyebrow. Finnick grinned and grabbed my hand.

"I'd better get going on the weapons. The only reason they keep me around is because they see how much they'd lack without me." I said.

"Good luck." Finnick said as I grinned and went off to knives and agility. Those were my best stations. I went to axes, but they were way heavier than knives were. I went to swords and crushed the trainer.

And then I went to snares. It was an excuse to talk to someone outside of the Careers.

"How's it going?" I asked joining Finnick.

"It's going. What about you? Did they come crawling back to you yet?" Finnick asked.

"No. I think I need to challenge one of them individually." I said.

"Go for Cashmere. She's the strongest at hand-to-hand, its girl on girl, and it'll get you the most credit." Finnick said.

"True, but Brutus is heavier." I said.

"I'm telling you. Go for Cashmere." Finnick said as I nodded. I stepped up on the hand-to-hand combat block.

"Cashmere, I'm challenging you to a practice duel. Woman-to-woman." I said smirking.

Of course she had to accept, or else she'd look weak. She started out really strong and got me in a headlock. But I elbowed her in the gut and she let me go. I started going at her. I was too fast. She didn't even see me coming. And then she landed on her back and was down for ten seconds.

Brutus grinned and shot me a thumbs up. Gloss nodded his head approvingly.

Training ended on that happy note. The Careers seemed more composed. We definitely knew what we were going to do in the arena.

I showered off before the meeting and was actually pretty excited for the meeting. We would be discussing what we were doing for the Gamemakers tomorrow in the private sessions.

And two days from now, I would be married. The thought of marriage brought tears to my eyes. I wasn't that sad.I was just shocked. I didn't think I would ever get married! And I mean ever. I don't know if people realize this, but I'm not exactly appealing to most people and I tend to scare them off with my crude sense of humor and sarcasm.

After I freshened up and hung out with Cashmere, Gloss, and Brutus, I went out to the meeting.I was kind of excited for the meeting. Here, a group of people related to me and I could tell them almost anything. We already pretty much have to trust each other with our lives.

"Aria, I don't really think it matters what you do for us tomorrow. You could basically do whatever you wanted." Plutarch said as I nodded and sat down. I guess for some people it mattered.

"Hey Aria? I just want to ask. But if it comes down to me and the Careers, will you kill me?" Cecelia asked suddenly. She was already planning her death?! How was I supposed to say yes to killing someone.

The room grew quiet and waited for my answer. I guess it would be insulting to anyone's memory if I left them to the Careers. I was technically signed up to kill everyone in this room if it came down to it.

"Why, Cecelia? Don't you think you can live?" I asked gently.

"I just want to be ready. And if the Careers get me, they'll make it long and painful. I just want it to be over quickly. Can you do that?" Cecelia asked.

"Yes, I will do it. If it is needed." I said.

"Would you do it for me? I don't want Brutus coming anywhere near me with a spear." Chaff asked.

"Sure. Anyone else?" I asked. Blight raised his hand and Johanna instantly smacked it down. Everyone glanced at each other and a few more hands went up.

"Fine." I said numbly. If I really was supposed to kill my friends, it would be with no emotions. At least until the deed is done.

After that, we were eating dinner.

"Aria, tomorrow at the meeting, wear comfortable shoes." Plutarch said.

"Why?" I asked.

"We've got to get you ready for the big dance." Plutarch said.

"With Finnick? It's only Finnick; we can sway around all we want for the first dance." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"No, they do different things in the Capitol. When people get married here, the first dance is with the President." Plutarch said.

"I have to dance with Snow? Isn't that a threat to a tribute?" I demanded, getting keyed up.

"He isn't seen as a threat to people here. You don't have to dance with him for very long." Plutarch said, as if that made this suddenly better. I still had to dance with a disgusting excuse for a man who smelled like blood.

"I have a question. How much alcohol can I consume?" I asked as people laughed. They thought I was kidding. There was no way I was staying sober just to dance with Snow!

"As soon as you finish dancing, you can drink to your heart's content." Haymitch said grinning. I sighed.

"Aria, it'll only be one song." Finnick said.

"So you knew about this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I demanded.

"I thought it wouldn't be that big of a deal." Finnick said.

"Sure, I'm only dancing with someone who poisons people for a living!" I said shrilly.

"Don't freak out, Aria. It'll be fine. It's not like he'll pull you somewhere and question you." Haymitch said.

"He will! I did something bad, years ago. And now, it's biting me in the butt." I said.

"What did you do?" Plutarch asked.

"Nothing, she's just kidding." Finnick said quickly. I glared at him and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Aria, this is absolutely unavoidable. I am sorry, but you _have_ to dance with President Snow. No exceptions!" Plutarch said.

Needless to say, I glared at Plutarch and Haymitch for the rest of the meeting.

I walked with Finnick and Mags out of the meeting.

"Perk up, sunshine." Finnick said.

"Don't call me sunshine. And why should I?" I demanded.

"As soon as your song with Snow ends, I'll save you." Finnick said as I let out a sigh and nodded.

Something about Finnick saving me from Snow made my cheeks get red. I mean, I'm an independent woman and don't need anyone to save me. But something about not having to save myself was seriously attractive. And the fact that Finnick, my attractive husband, had to save me was nice, too.

Wait, _did I just call Finnick attractive?_

* * *

YAY! Another chapter a day. Sadly, I don't think I'll have one out until Friday. What can I say? It's a late Tuesday night update! What more could you want?

Slowly- very slowly- I think we'll begin to see Aria's caring side and her passionate/angry side in longer strides. So that's something to look forward to. And she's just starting to warm up on the idea of Finnick ;) where will I take it next?

**Thanks to: **Poisonpen19, zamzym, and Millenia-the-wings-of-valmar for adding this story to their favorites! You're all rock stars!

**spiffiness114:**I'm glad someone could appreciate the very witty humor I put in! :) Thank you for the kind review! Have a good week!

**Green-NaNa-Neko89:**Was this chapter a little better as far as Finnick/Aria? I promise they'll have some special 'moments' very, very soon. I feel a little better about this chapter than I did about the last one. And thanks for answering the question! To be completely honest, I miss updating daily :) it was like a major stress relief! Thank you again for reviewing. Your endless support is greatly appreciate and I don't know if I can say thank you enough. Have a good week!

Anyone have any suggestions on the plot? Anything they want to see? Another kiss or something like that? Let me know!

I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the week!

-GirlonFire


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter**_ **_8  
_**_Heartless_

"Alright, Aria. You're waltzing. Try to look somewhat poised and graceful." Plutarch said. He was forced to be my practice dance partner.

Finnick was playing the music. I looked down at my feet. I had two left feet when it came to dancing. Plutarch got his toes smashed many times today. I felt somewhat bad, and then got over it quickly.

"Alright, you're doing well. Snow is old and can't toss you around so much." Finnick said.

"Snow tosses around everyone he comes into contact with." I said shaking my head. Plutarch laughed and I stepped on his foot again. I lost track of how many times I've mangled Plutarch's feet.

"Go get ready for the private sessions. We'll finish this after." Plutarch said.

"Plutarch, I'm sorry for stepping on your toes." I said shyly.

"It's fine as long as you don't step on President Snow's toes." He said as I nodded. Finnick and I went off to go to our private sessions.

We sat in District order. Gloss was going first. This was the first time I've ever seen him nervous. His eyes were bloodshot and he was pretty pale. He came out looking like he won the lottery. Cashmere went in shortly after Gloss. She was better at containing her emotions.

Brutus grinned and went in, oozing confidence. My knee started to nervously shake.

"Aria?" Beetee asked, concerned.

"I'm okay." I said, stroking my side-braid. I was jittering with nerves. Brutus came out and I put on my mask. I was calm, cool, and collected. I walked in and kept my cool stature.

"Ariadne Stone, District Two." I said giving a curtsey. Plutarch nodded and winked at me. I went for knives and hurled them everywhere. I could've walked out right then, but the Gamemakers were watching me still.

By this point, they weren't even drunk or delirious. So I kind of had to earn my score. I know Plutarch would try to convince them if I goofed up. I went to swords and let out a sigh.

Why was I even picking up a sword? I balanced the weight perfectly and began going to town. I heard the Peacekeepers gasp. I forgot that I was publicly sworn to never pick up a sword during my Victory Tour in the Capitol.

They seemed thoroughly shocked. I diced up a dummy with my sword and stabbed another with a sharp knife. I got through most of the dummies and did the exact moves I did at my Games when I won.

I curtseyed and left the Gamemakers thoroughly shell-shocked. I beamed and walked out.

Everyone watched me as I left. I hung out with the Careers for a while. We ate lunch at my floor and got ready to watch the scores. I felt my anxiety pick up. My heart was pounding and I began to stress-sweat.

Estella sat in the armchair and we took up the couch. Winston and my prep team members were watching behind us.

Brutus only got a nine! They were strict this year! Oh no...

"Ariadne Stone earned a score of... eleven." Caesar Flickerman said as I began choking on air. How did I score higher than Brutus? Gloss and Cashmere both got tens, too.

"Excuse me." I said, unable to hide my grin. I walked calmly to the stairs and ran up them. Why was I so happy about this? I got the same score when I was twelve. I ran to the District Four floor and walked in.

"Good job, Aria. I knew you'd be fine." Finnick said pulling me into a hug. I grinned and looked at his face. He wore a casual, flirty smile that was very easygoing. But he was also kind of pale. He seemed to be sweating a little. Finnick really didn't have to worry about his training score, so he couldn't be nervous. He was a little shaky, as well.

"Are you feeling alright? You look sick." I said.

I instantly went into Nurse Aria mode and put my fingers on Finnick's forehead. He was abnormally warm.

"You're sick." I said.

"So what? Mags was doctoring me, but she had to leave to go find Plutarch for something." Finnick said as I grabbed both of his hands in mine. I led him to the couch.

"Sit down and rest." I demanded.

"Are you going to nurse me? What happens if you get sick?" Finnick asked.

"Then I give it to the Careers. Oh darn." I said dripping with sarcasm. Finnick laughed, but that led to a coughing fit.

"We're out of medicine." Finnick said.

"Did Mags give you any?" I asked.

"No, I think she was talking to Plutarch to get more." Finnick said.

"I'll just go get some from my room." I said shrugging my shoulders. People from District Two didn't use medicine. Ever. That's how we stayed so wealthy most of the time. We just didn't let ourselves use money or ask the Capitol for any.

"Come right back." Finnick said meeting my gaze. He seemed so sad!

"Okay, I'll be back in like five minutes." I said taking the stairs down. Everyone was sitting here.

"Estella do we have any medicine?" I asked.

"Are you getting sick?" She asked, panicking and going into mommy-mode.

"No, Finnick is. They're all out. Can I take some of ours?" I asked.

She smiled and handed me some of the liquid medicines.

"Thanks." I said going upstairs. I walked into Finnick's room and he was on the couch.

"Hey, Finnick. Wake up." I said kneeling in front of him.

He groaned and shook his head. He turned on his side, so his back was to me.

"If you don't wake up, I can't give you the medicine or take your temperature. You know, if the thermometer doesn't go in your mouth, it goes in the other end?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

Finnick turned over and I put the thermometer under his tongue.

He had a 102.3 degree fever. I went to wash up the thermometer and put it in the sink. I made chicken broth and warm water with honey and lemon. Call it a hunch, but I'm pretty sure lemon and honey soothes throats.

I brought over the stuff.

"I don't want to swallow anything." Finnick said shaking his head.

"I know. But this'll help you. It's only chicken broth and warm water." I said gently.

_"Aria_." Finnick said exasperated. We shared a look and he let out a sigh. He can't resist the puppy dog look. No one can.

He reached for the broth. His hands were shaking, though. I pulled it away and he sighed.

"I'll do it." I said gently.

"If you're going to feed me, I should get sick more often." Finnick said. I rolled my eyes and he grinned.

"I think that's enough soup for now." I said.

"What's in the mug?" Finnick asked.

"I told you. Warm water with lemon and honey." I said as he nodded. I held the mug to his lips and made him drink.

"If it counts for anything, you're a better nurse than Mags is." Finnick said. By this point, I think he was highly delirious.

"I can't see that. Mags is so gentle and motherly" I said putting the mug down.

"And you're pretty, too." Finnick said, continuing on.

"Not pretty enough though, huh?" I asked.

"I think you're pretty enough. You're pretty enough for me." Finnick said grinning in a daze. I think the fever was really affecting him. I rolled my eyes again and let the delirious comment roll off of me. I got a blanket from a linen closet and pulled it up to Finnick's chin. I tucked him and he let out a sigh.

"I'll get your medicine." I said quietly.

Finnick yawned and nodded.

I poured the liquid cough syrup into a cup and put it to Finnick's mouth. He chugged and nodded.

"Next?" He asked.

"That's it for now. I don't want to give you too much." I said as Finnick nodded. He yawned again and I wiped the sweaty hair off his forehead. He fell asleep, too. I continued to wipe the sweaty hair off his forehead and he smiled in his sleep.

I sat down so I was leaning against the couch and let myself drift off. My head fell on my shoulder and I sighed.

"Aria, wake up." Finnick said, shaking my shoulder.

"Are you going to throw up? Sick? Need more medicine?" I asked springing awake.

"No, it's time to go to bed. You don't need to be sore before the Games." Finnick said as I sighed and nodded.

I got up, feeling the achy pain in my back. I grabbed Finnick's hand and he laced his fingers around mine. I think I was so tired; I was initiating a physical relationship. Finnick practically dragged me to his bed and made me get under the covers.

I fell asleep almost instantly. Out like a flash. But why did I even stay here with Finnick? I'm sure Mags wandered back eventually, she could have taken care of him. I think we were asleep and didn't hear Mags walk in. But more to the story, why did I even give Finnick half of my medicine? Was I growing a heart for him?

* * *

I feel like this chapter was a little bit of a filler. But because it's almost 10 p.m. and I have school at 6 tomorrow morning, I'm going to have to skip the whole ordeal about thanking everyone individually this time! I will for sure next time!

This chapter came out incredibly fast. So please forgive any mistakes with grammar/spelling stuff. I know I'm a little late on my update this time- I promised everyone an update on Friday and it is now Monday. So I'm really sorry, but it will get easier and more frequent... eventually. I promise!

Thanks for ready and all the support! I truly love everyone of you and am incredibly grateful that you all like the story and have supported it for 8 chapters! And I promise I'll thank everyone properly in the next chapter. I feel bad now.

But because I didn't thank anyone here, you have earned a sneak peak into chapter 9:

_Winston woke me in the morning. Finnick was still sleeping._

_"Aria, you have to go get ready for the wedding pictures. Finnick's stylist will wake him in a few hours. But you have to get ready. You take longer." Winston said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me off. He seemed somewhat distant._

_"Why so quiet?" I asked._

_"What all did you and Finnick do last night?" Winston asked, suddenly._

_"Nothing! He was just sick and I was taking care of him." I said shaking my head._

_"I bet you were." Winston said, pulling me off to the prep room. And then I saw it. My wedding dress. _

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone! I'm super excited for Chapter 9 and then the Games! It should be good! Have a great week, everyone! -GirlonFire


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9  
**__Distance_

Winston woke me in the early morning. Finnick was still sleeping, I was groggy, and I could hear Mags snoring away in her room.

"Aria, you have to go get ready for the wedding pictures. Finnick's stylist will wake him in a few hours. But you have to get ready. You take longer." Winston said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me off. He seemed somewhat distant.

"Why so quiet?" I asked.

"What all did you and Finnick _do _last night?" Winston asked, suddenly.

"Nothing! He was just sick and I was taking care of him." I said shaking my head.

"I bet you were." Winston said, pulling me off to the prep room. And then I saw it. My wedding dress.

To say it was the biggest thing I've ever seen was an understatement. It was fluffy and had a lot of feathers. It was a one strap dress with black decorative feathers that came up the strap and then branched down over my chest and went down the skirt in an overlay. There were white feathers under the overlay, too. There was a black bow over my ribs that tied at the back.

"Why am I in the feathers? Shouldn't Everdeen be?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"You're giving Snow a subtle sign. You support Katniss and the hope." Winston said as he helped me into shoes. They weren't unbearably high this time, either! He must have heard that I was dancing. Adella and Shine walked in and they started crying. Shine began doing my hair and Adella was giving me posture lessons for my dance with the President while doing my makeup.

"I think you're ready." Winston said nodding his head.

"Gorgeous, utterly gorgeous." Shine said wiping tears off her face.

"Magnificent!" Adella said in awe. Winston grinned and we made our way to the Capitol cars. Finnick and Mags were in one and they sped off.

We went to the 'most romantic places in the Capitol' and got our wedding pictures taken. Paparazzi mobbed us and I put on a sugary sweet smile. Cameras flashed and I temporarily went blinded. It was like looking into the sun!

After pictures, Finnick and I were led into the Capitol Legal Building. They didn't call it a cathedral or anything normal like that here. It was a 'legal building'. Just one more reason why the Capitol was so strange and foreign to me.

We had to sign legal documents and then Snow walked in.

"Well that's new." Winston muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"Normally, he only shows up for the ceremony. Not the signings." Winston said as Snow grinned. I shifted uncomfortably and he seemed to be analyzing my brain.

"I must extend my blessings! How very lucky!" Snow said.

"We only have you to thank." I said grinning.

"How do you mean?" Snow asked, getting confused. Finnick nodded once. I had permission to speak my mind for now.

"Well, thanks to your Games, Finnick and I have really bonded and gotten close. Maybe your Games are good for something, after all." I said as Finnick coughed to disguise laughter. I'm pretty sure Snow would try harder to kill me in the arena now, but he couldn't do anything that the Careers wouldn't!

Snow grinned and walked away to sign some papers.

"Well don't you know how to clear a room?" Winston said chuckling.

"I've been getting Brutus and Enobaria out of my house for years." I said.

We signed a few more papers and went off to the ceremony. It was practically nothing for me. A few Capitol ladies tried to rip my skin off, but other than that: practically nothing!

We stood there and officially got married. Overall, I was kind of bored.

The Minister was President Snow and we were forced to stand in a close proximity to him. Finnick and I equally seemed to slowly inch away from Snow. At the end of the ceremony, we rushed out of there before anyone could take any pictures. I feel like Finnick and I were too repulsed by Snow to really enjoy our wedding.

And then we had to get rushed off to change in time for our interviews. It was a little bit of a crunch time. I was rushed to get dressed and get my makeup done.

I never really looked in the mirror, so I didn't know what my interview dress looked like. I know it was a long, silver dress. And my hair was done with perfection.

"We're late!" Shine squeaked as we got in cars and drove to the interview venue. Brutus was already going when we got there! I rushed backstage and got waved on. I smiled gently and took my time. My heart was pounding in my chest.

"My, my, my! You look dashing!" Caesar Flickerman said kissing my hand.

"Don't get too close Caesar. We'll make Finnick jealous." I said as everyone laughed.

"I think I can manage." Caesar said as I laughed.

"You look absolutely stunning today. You're glowing!" Caesar said as I grinned.

"Thank you. I've never felt more beautiful. And we only have President Snow to thank." I said.

"How so?" Caesar asked.

"Well, because of his Games, he allowed Finnick and me to find something in common and bond." I said.

"How do you feel about going in, knowing you might not make it out?" Caesar asked.

"Well," I said as my voice squeaked, "As long as Finnick makes it far, I'll be fine. I don't care about me. But how am I supposed to feel? The Capitol citizens have been like a second family to me since I was twelve. And you've watched me grow and mature over the years, too!" I said.

"How very true. We should miss you very much. But I don't think we should count you out yet." Caesar said.

"I don't know, Caesar. I don't have very good time management skills!" I said.

"How so?" He asked for a second time.

"Caesar, it's a day before the Games and I only just got married." I said as everyone laughed again.

"Better late than never, though. Am I right everyone?" Caesar asked as people cheered and screamed.

"Congratulations, Ms. Stone. Or should I say Mrs. Odair. We wish you well." Caesar said kissing my hand again.

"Aria Odair, everyone." Caesar said as I grinned and walked off. Beetee came on directly after me. He talked about politics and the legal part of the Hunger Games. I think he was trying to stun everyone with his big words. Wiress went on and talked about District Three.

"Aria, we have to go get ready again." Adella said.

"But I want to watch the rest." I said.

"I know, but you can later. You have to get ready for the wedding party!" Adella said as my prep team pulled me off to the bathroom and helped me change back in the wedding dress again.

We redid my makeup and hair.

"You'll have to wait for Finnick to change. You must arrive together." Estella said, joining us. I nodded and she started crying.

"Estella?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She said shaking her head and dabbing her tears away. I nodded skeptically. It was quite obvious that she wasn't fine. I'm not sure if she was just being dramatic, or something else. Capitol people are kind of unpredictable with their emotions. I can only imagine what Capitol people will do when they hear Peeta's baby bomb. They'll either cry or get overly-angry.

"Finnick is ready." Winston said, popping in. I picked up my skirt and held it in my arms. I met up with Finnick and Mags. Mags wasn't going to come with us. It was the night before the Games and she couldn't afford to lose so much energy.

She kissed my cheek and patted Finnick's arm.

"Come on. The car is around the back." Estella said.

"There's only one car?" Finnick asked.

"Of course not. It'll be Winston, Finnick, Aria, and I in one car. A second car will come for the prep team members." Estella said as we escaped through the back door.

"Alright, Aria in first." Estella said. I carefully stepped onto the foot bar on the outside of the van and tried not to get my skirt stuck in the door. Finnick handed me the rest of my skirt.

"Thank you." I said as he nodded and went around.

Winston got in the driver's seat and started the van. We left Caesar's and sped off.

"Alright, you two. You're in love." Estella said.

"Do you want me to do the talking?" Finnick asked.

"That'd be best. Snow wants to kill me." I said nodding my head.

"Remember what I said about the dancing thing. Snow is like a thousand years old, he can't toss you around too much. Just stay calm and let him lead you for a bit." Finnick said.

I nodded and looked out the window. We pulled into the large, circular driveway of Snow's mansion and Finnick opened my door for me.

"Careful, Aria. It's a little slippery." Estella said as I tightened my grip on Finnick. If I fell, I don't think I'd be able to get up.

"You're cold." Finnick said.

"I'm nervous." I said quietly.

"The dance will be fine. What's the worst that could happen?" Finnick asked as I sighed and nodded. I guess he was right. I was being silly.

Guests were waiting upon our arrival and Finnick and I cut our wedding cake. It was probably enough to feed a family for a month! The thing was bigger than I was. The cake probably weighed more than all the feathers on my dress.

Finnick and I carefully fed each other a small piece of cake. We were trying not to get each other dirty. Then we did the toasts. Estella went up first, but she was too 'emotional' to be coherent. Winston went up next and he did a good job. His was pretty funny.

Plutarch went up and his was about seeing us grow up.

And then Snow went up.

"I've never met someone as determined as Ariadne Odair. Her determination rivals her beauty. Finnick and I have been great friends since he has won and I'm glad he has found someone to tie the knot with. I thoroughly believe Ariadne and Finnick will live a long and happy life together, knowing they are perfect for the other. I'm glad I had the chance to bring these two together. And I am honored to be dancing with the bride shortly." Snow said as people clapped.

His speech was scarier. Finnick and I seemed shocked, but numbly clapped.

"And now we will be holding the first dance." A Capitol attendant said. I sucked in a breath.

"Good luck. I'll be with Johanna nearby." Finnick said as I nodded once. I found President Snow and he gave me his hand. I tried to find everyone, but I couldn't see anyone in the mix of bright colors. Where were Finnick and Johanna? I couldn't see much of anything in the bright colors. All I know is that Snow was holding me too close for comfort.

Finnick lied when he told me Snow couldn't toss me around. Snow was one insane dancer. It was absolutely nauseating. For about three minutes, everything got blurry and I got severely motion sick.

"You look beautiful in your dress. It appears that your stylists were inspired by Katniss." Snow said.

"Thank you, but it was my idea. Why not?" I asked shrugging my shoulders.

"Mrs. Odair, do not try to be noble. Do not protect my citizens when they have clearly gone against my orders. Tell me one thing, though. Do you truly love Mr. Odair?" Snow asked.

"I'm marrying him, aren't I?" I asked.

"That doesn't answer the question. You could be in a reluctant marriage. They happen more than you know. Do you know what will happen if one of you were to claim that you didn't love the other?" Snow asked.

"I have a feeling you'll tell me." I said.

"Riots. Rebellion. Ms. Stone, it's too much drama for the Capitol. With Everdeen's baby and your marriage. It's too much." Snow said.

"President Snow, drama is the Capitol's forte. If anyone can handle everything, they can. You should have some faith in your people." I said as we started slowing down.

"Answer the questions. Do you honestly and truly love him?" Snow asked.

"Yes." I answered.

"Does he honestly love you?" Snow asked.

"I should hope so." I said.

"I would not be too sure. Does the name Annie Cresta ring a bell to you?" Snow asked.

"Of course I know about Annie. It is truly heart-wrenching about how everything turned out." I said.

Snow clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth, but didn't say anything else.

When the dance finally ended, I let out a breath. I could distinctly smell the blood and sores on President Snow. I felt my throat close up.

"May I cut in?" Finnick asked. He was a sight for sore eyes.

"Absolutely." President Snow said, gleefully. I let out a breath I was holding and President Snow left to be 'social'.

"You look green." Finnick said.

"Snow only threw me around like a doll." I said quietly.

Finnick didn't say anything else for a long time. We just kind of swayed around and went in circles.

"At least you smell better." I said as Finnick laughed. It was a nice sound, like music almost. But it was better.

Finnick didn't really like me like that, I could tell. But at least he wasn't letting our 'marriage' make him sad. He was still upset with Annie and he just needed more time than we had. Needless to say, I couldn't like Finnick. Not when he wasn't ready. But that doesn't mean I wasn't ready. I think I was in love with Finnick.

The party ended sometime around one in the morning and I was thoroughly exhausted. Finnick and I piled back in the Capitol car, but Estella handed me pajamas and I changed. I took off my heels and walked through Snow's mansion barefoot.

I fell asleep with my head on Finnick's shoulder and didn't bother waking up. We got to the training center and hit the speed bump too quickly. I jolted awake and climbed out of the car, groggily.

"Goodnight, Finnick. I'll see you in the morning." I said, going to my floor and dragging myself to bed. I fell asleep on top of the covers and didn't wake up until Estella shook me awake in the morning.

"Wake up, Aria. It's the Hunger Games." She said as we left the training center and boarded a hovercraft. This was it! The moment everyone was anxiously waiting for. Nothing could stop this now.

"Give me your arm." A woman said with a long needle. I did obediently and she activated my tracker. It didn't hurt that much, only a little. We stopped somewhere and Winston and I split off.

"You're in a wet suit this year. I take it there will be a lot of water. Maybe an ocean or something. Other than that, you can expect hot and tropical climates. I don't know what to tell you." Winston said shrugging his shoulders.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

"I'm here for you, Aria. Just do whatever you need to in the Games. You're my inspiration." Winston said as I smiled and hugged him.

"We'll see each other again, Winston." I said as he smiled and nodded.

"Ten seconds." A voice said from the tube.

"This is it." I sighed.

"You'll do great. I know you will. I know how you feel about the Career tributes, but I know you'll be just fine." Winston said as I forced a smile and stepped in the tube. I started rising and I waved goodbye.

This was it. This is the 75th Annual Hunger Games and the Third Quarter Quell.

* * *

This was so long to write! But I'm so glad everything can start picking up now that the Games are starting. Sooo excited!

Thank you: 09fawkes, DayDreamer1212, TheGirlWhoCan'tLetGo, and shopgirllaura for adding this story to their favorites.

Thank you: DreamerEverBroken, EidenLo, TheGirlWhoCan'tLetGo, and ZoeSone for following this story!

**Green-NaNa-Neko89**: Yeah, the last one was really short. But I really liked the content in the chapter. This was a little bit longer, but there was also more going on. I think I'm more excited for the Games now. Thank you so much for the loyal support and reviews! You're like the best reader/reviewer ever! Have a great week (because I sure won't).

**I take my standardized tests Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. The plus side: I go to school at 6-10 A.M. and go home after the tests (more time to write). The down side: I take a standardized test for the country that calculates how much I've been doing in school and if I've been retaining knowledge.**

Needless to say, my schedule is pretty jacked up right now. So with that being said, maybe an update after the testing (?). Wish me luck everyone! Have a great week, though!

Thanks for reading!

-GirlonFire


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**  
Fish Out of Water- Finnick's Point of View_

I don't think I've ever seen someone so beautiful. Aria looked absolutely stunning, if not a little out-of-place, in her Capitol wedding gown. The look on her face, though, was priceless! She looked utterly horrified. As much as the Capitol citizens tried, they couldn't compare to her beauty.

"You look nice." I muttered. Why was I muttering? It's not like I'm shy or anything. I make the women feel shy.

"Thanks." Aria said as a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks. She looked at the floor and twiddled her thumbs. Why is she so nervous around me? I wish she acted more natural. It's not like I'm going to bite her head off or anything.

We were on our way to the Capitol Legal Building. It was a plain gray building. It wasn't very exciting for our wedding venue.

Aria's stylist and escort were talking about some meaningless Capitol gossip. Mags and I got in a Capitol car and sped off. Aria and the others were following.

We went to some of the most 'romantic' places in the Capitol and took some pictures that seemed really forced. Aria and I were trying too hard to look like we had chemistry. Mags was trying to pose us in the most convenient way to get the job done fast.

We got in the cars again and drove off to the Capitol Legal Building, finally. Our detour lasted an hour of my life that was purely painful.

"You're quiet today." Aria said when I opened her door to help her out. She climbed out of the car and pulled her skirt with her. She was very rough with her skirt, though. She pulled it behind her and clenched it in her fist.

"What are you staring at?" Aria asked.

"I don't know." I said, grabbing her hand. Normally, when Plutarch made us rehearse, we had problems with our thumbs. But this time, we managed to hold hands and not look completely awkward. Aria tightened her grip as we were ascending the stairs. We were welcomed inside by a glaring female. She glared strictly at Aria and smiled at me.

I think she was one of my clients, too! And she was about ready to tear Aria to shreds. Naturally, Aria glared back at her.

"Welcome, welcome." Some purple guy said. He walked us to a desk. Estella was our witness and we had to sign a lot of papers.

"I didn't know you're left handed." I said while we were signing. Aria was writing with her left hand! I always assumed she was right-handed because she threw knives right-handed.

"I'm both." Aria said with a small smile. She finished reading through the marriage terms and we were escorted out into the lobby. Someone came in, though, and blocked the door.

It was President Snow.

"Well that's new." Winston, Aria's stylist, muttered.

"What?" Aria asked.

"Normally, he only shows up for the ceremony. Not the signings." Winston said as Snow grinned. Aria shifted and tightened her grip on my hand. Snow studied the exchange and grinned. He stared at Aria for a long time before saying anything. Aria looked at me pleadingly. She was asking to sass the President. What could he honestly do to her, though? It was the day before the Hunger Games and was allied with the Careers.

I nodded once and Aria smiled.

"I must extend my blessings! How very lucky!" Snow said.

"We only have you to thank." Aria said grinning. Something about her tone was bitterly sweet, though.

"How do you mean?" Snow asked, getting confused. Aria let out a sigh of relief and appeared to be thinking how to word something.

"Well, thanks to your Games, Finnick and I have really bonded and gotten close. Maybe your Games are good for something, after all." Aria said.

I coughed to disguise laughter. She must be pretty suicidal or tired of all the drama. Snow was going to massacre her in the arena. But what could he honestly do? The Careers pretty much had her death planned. Snow grinned and walked away to sign some papers.

He acted too calmly about her little moment. He was planning something! Something was going to happen. He was publicly going to denounce the wedding and not let us get married. Now I was panicking.

"Well don't you know how to clear a room?" Winston said chuckling.

"I've gotten Brutus and Enobaria out of my house for years." Aria said.

I chuckled and shook my head.

On the way to our ceremony, a few of my fans actually tried to touch Aria! They wanted to physically harm her. Winston and I both separated my fans from Aria as much as we could, but one of my lady-fans grabbed her wrist.

"Hello." Aria said smoothly.

"You can't do this to me! My husband is always gone! I _need_ Finnick; you can't take him away from me!" She shrieked.

"Why don't you talk with your husband and tell him how you feel?" Aria suggested. Normally, she didn't try to talk with my fans back.

"Tell him how I feel?" The fan asked, quieting down.

"Yes, it can't hurt. And at least he'll know about how you feel." Aria said.

The fan let go of Aria's wrist and we continued to get inside to the ceremony.

"What was that?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. I feel bad for ones like that." Aria said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You feel bad for them?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, they're neglected by their husbands and they just wanted your company. Imagine if they actually talked about their feelings like people in the Districts do. We'd all be the same!" Aria said.

It made sense, but it'd never work. The Capitol people pride themselves on being above us. We went to the ceremony and it wasn't as glorious as the Capitol made it out to be. There are a lot of extravagant things in the Capitol and weddings weren't one of them.

It was a standard wedding from the Districts. I could tell Aria wasn't very impressed with the standards and neither was I. Snow was our minister and he smelled especially bad today. Aria and I both seemed to slowly inch away from him. I was holding my breath for five-minute intervals.

As soon as the wedding ended, I pulled Aria out of there quickly and we walked out before many people could take pictures.

"We've got to go, like now! We're running late on the interviews." Estella said shrilly.

"Who are they on?" I asked.

"Caesar just started the introduction! And Aria is four people in. She can't be late!" Estella said.

Winston picked up the pace driving back and we were rushed. Aria had to start getting ready in the backseat. Her prep team whisked her off at the interview venue and they hurried to get ready.

I was dressed as a pirate. I thought it looked kind of tacky. I mean, it was genuine District Four clothing. But it made me feel a little homesick.

"Hey, how'd the wedding go?" Johanna asked.

"Fine. I think Aria is hesitating a bit." I said. Aria was pulling away and I couldn't figure out why.

"Well you're hesitating too. You still love Annie. You don't want to, but you do." Johanna said wisely.

"You sound like Aria." I grumbled, crossing my arms. So what if I did still love Annie? I can't let it get in the way of my job!

"Only because she knows what she's talking about." Johanna said shrugging her shoulders. Her tree foundation shook when she shrugged her shoulders and I smiled. It looked like the tree was caught in an earthquake.

And then Aria finally got here. She looked... I can't even describe it. It was too beautiful for words. She came down the stairs, holding the hem of her slim, long skirt. She easily got everyone's attention. Every male in a twenty-mile radius would be staring at her!

Her hair was curled to perfection and it was tied in an up-do. It looked silvery in the stage lights. Her eyes were sparkling and beautiful. She seemed to notice everyone staring at her and her cheeks went slightly pink. If I thought she was beautiful this morning, this is what stunning looks like!

"Finnick are you listening?" Johanna asked.

"Yeah." I said, distractedly. Johanna followed my gaze.

"Aria cleaned up nicely, huh?" Johanna asked, nudging my arm. Johanna grinned and I rolled my eyes.

As soon as Aria got down here, she was ushered backstage for her interview. Brutus was already going by the time she got here. We didn't have time to talk and I was grateful. I wasn't sure what I would say if I had the time.

Normally, I plan out all my conversations. I can prepare to make women swoon in the Capitol, but Aria was different. She didn't fall for my constant flirting. I don't think she realizes that I flirt with her so much.

I missed Aria's entire interview, thinking about Aria. That sounds ridiculous! Beetee went on and made everyone over contemplate the use of big words. Wiress went on and talked about District Three. And then I went on.

My interview started normally with the cheeky Finnick-Caesar banter. It was carefree and easy. But then, I recited my poem. They were making a newly married man recite a love poem to a crowd of women? It isn't the worst thing I've ever done.

As soon as I get off stage, I have to go get ready for the wedding party. I assume Aria is already getting ready. And surprisingly, I'm done before her! Her prep team came out and she followed. I don't know how they all fit in the small bathroom with such minimal room.

Mags joined me sometime while I was waiting. She patted my arm and I smiled. Mags wasn't coming. She had a meeting with Plutarch about the last plan in the arena. She kissed Aria's cheek gently.

"Come on. The car is around the back." Estella said.

"There's only one car?" I asked. I don't think Aria would fit with all of us in one car.

"Of course not. It'll be Winston, Finnick, Aria, and I in one car. A second car will come for the prep team members." Estella said as we escaped through the back door.

It was dark and cold. But we found the car. Winston got around to the drivers' side and unlocked the car.

"Alright, Aria in first." Estella said. We had to practically lift Aria in. I collected the rest of her skirt in armfuls and handed it to her.

"Thank you." She said quietly. I nodded and went around to the other side. I got in and Winston sped off. The others were following behind us. We began making our way to President Snow's mansion.

"Alright, you two. You're in love." Estella said.

"Do you want me to do the talking?" I asked. Aria probably shouldn't strike up conversation with Snow until she had to. He was probably still brooding about the conversation they had earlier.

"That'd be best. Snow wants to kill me." Aria said, keeping the tone light.

"Remember what I said about the dancing thing. Snow is like a thousand years old, he can't toss you around too much. Just stay calm and let him lead you for a bit." I said. I think she was a little nervous. She looked out the window and watched as we pulled into President Snow's mansion.

I got out and opened her door.

"Careful, Aria. It's a little slippery." Estella said. Aria almost slipped on the foot bar! I tightened my grip on her and carefully helped her down. She had a tight hold on my arm and stayed a little behind me.

"You're cold." I said, trying to make conversation.

"I'm nervous." Aria said quietly.

"The dance will be fine. What's the worst that could happen?" I asked as Aria sighed and nodded.

Hundreds of elite Capitol citizens appeared to be waiting for us. They cheered when we entered and we made our way to cut the cake. It was taller than I was! It probably weighed more than Aria did with her wedding dress on! Aria and I tried to neatly feed each other a small piece of cake and people cooed.

And then it was time for the toasts. Estella started the toasts, rambling about how she has seen Aria grow from the small twelve-year old to a twenty-two year old. She got really emotional and no one could understand her.

Winston went up and joked about Aria's terrible fashion sense and her hairy legs. He did a good job making us laugh. Plutarch talked about it being an honor to work with us. And then Snow went up. His speech was properly terrifying.

"I've never met someone as determined as Ariadne Odair. Her determination rivals her beauty. Finnick and I have been great friends since he has won and I'm glad he has found someone to tie the knot with. I thoroughly believe Ariadne and Finnick will live a long and happy life together, knowing they are perfect for the other. I'm glad I had the chance to bring these two together. And I am honored to be dancing with the bride shortly." Snow said as people clapped.

Aria and I shared a really terrified look and numbly clapped along.

And then it was time for the first dance. Aria reluctantly got up and she was shaking. I went to go dance with Johanna for a while.

"How's your wedding going?" Johanna asked as we began swaying to a slow song that they must have put on.

"It just took a turn for the scary side." I said.

"At least you're not dancing with Snow." Johanna said. I nodded in agreement. We talked for a while. Just about random things that didn't necessarily make sense. But it felt good. I didn't have to pretend to be in love with Johanna, I could be me.

"So tell me the truth, Finnick, do you still love Annie?" Johanna asked suddenly.

"Of course." I said.

"Let me rephrase that. Are you _in love_ with Annie?" Johanna asked.

Johanna and I shared a look and she grinned.

"Finnick, this is great!" Johanna said.

"No it isn't." I said shaking my head.

"Look, the road to the victory doesn't matter. All that matters is the victory! And this is it. You love her, Finnick." Johanna said.

"She's hesitant though. I think she thinks I still love Annie." I said.

"I know she does. But leave it to me." Johanna said.

"No, enough interference. Just leave it to fate." I said.

Johanna nodded and we didn't say anything for a while. We just kind of swayed in a circle.

"Do you see Aria and Snow behind me? They aren't behind you." Johanna said suddenly.

"No." I said turning so I could see everywhere behind Johanna.

"We lost them!" Johanna groaned.

"How do we know he hasn't poisoned her?" Johanna asked. My pulse started racing. We really had to find Aria! I can't believe we lost her. I was focused on Johanna's interrogation too much.

"Split up. We'll cover more ground." She said. She went one way, I went the other. I looked through swarms of brightly colored people and didn't find her.

"Finnick, I found them." Johanna said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me through the crowds.

Snow was completely tossing Aria around and she looked pale!

"I have to save her, Johanna. She looks like she's going to be sick!" I said, going to cut in.

"May I cut in?" I asked politely. From the look Snow and I shared, though, it wasn't a question.

"Absolutely." Snow said, joyfully. He was too _happy_. That's how I know something bad happened between them.

"You look green." I said as Aria and I swayed. She seemed to be shaking even more now.

"Snow only threw me around like a doll." She said shyly. Color was beginning to slowly return to her face, but she still looked a bit green.

"At least you smell better." She said as I laughed. She smiled and I let out a sigh of relief. She would be fine for now.

Aria and I were left to dance for a while. Estella found us and handed Aria pajamas. Aria went to change out of her dress in a bathroom. While Aria changed, I was working on saying goodbye and keeping good social standards to the Capitol people. If they liked Aria so much, Snow couldn't do anything bad to her.

Johanna, Blight, Chaff, Woof, and Cecelia left about half an hour before.

Winston pulled the car up to the front door and we piled in. Aria let out a yawn and sighed. She looked absolutely exhausted. Even more than I did.

Winston started talking to Estella in hushed tones, but I wasn't really paying attention. I only started listening when Aria's head bumped into my shoulder. Her breaths were slow and warm in my neck.

We hit a speed bump too quickly at the training center and Aria sprang awake.

"We're here!" Estella said, too cheerfully. I rolled my eyes and climbed out.

"Goodnight Finnick. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Aria said, dragging herself to the elevator and heading up. I went to my floor and barely made it to my bed before falling asleep.

It was such a long and emotional day; I didn't even remember that the Hunger Games were tomorrow! Mags woke me up in the very early morning and made us sit down and eat together. We got in a hovercraft and it was just us.

"Give me your arm." A Capitol woman said, sticking my tracker in.

We were split up and I got dressed in a wet suit. I could assume that there would be a lot of water in the arena this year. My stylist began rattling off random facts about the wet suit and how it could imply tropical weather. Maybe I did something good to deserve this? Maybe my years of sleeping with Capitol citizens were finally paying off!

I got in the tube, waving goodbye to my stylist and slowly was propelled upwards. I took a deep breath and squinted in the sunlight.

This was the 75th Annual Hunger Games, the Third-Quarter Quell.

* * *

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! There was a problem. I tried to upload it this morning, but that clearly didn't happen. You see, I normally copy and paste my chapter files onto the text boxes, but it wasn't working! The box was really small and it didn't let me save the file due to a 'internal error' or a problem from the site. I kept trying to think of ways to update and upload, but Fanfiction just wasn't having it. But I guess it's working now. I'm not really sure if it's fixed. So if that's ever happened to anyone, please let me know what you did to fix it! It was quite the dilemma and I want to know if I can do anything to avoid it.

Did everyone like Finnick's Point of View? This is something I've wanted to do for the longest time! I was really excited about this chapter! But also, I wanted to torture everyone and hold off on the Games for one more chapter. Believe me, it's coming I promise.

**TheGirlWhoCan'tLetGo:** As far as I know, I will be following the plots pretty well. I can't make any promises about Mockingjay, though. It's too far in the future for me to tell at this point. On one side, Aria is there to make small changes in some things. But I really want to stay true to other things. In other words, tune in to find out! :) have a great day/weekend! Thanks for reviewing!

**Green-Nana-Neko89:** Thanks for reviewing again! Sorry about your work being understaffed! I work at a photography studio, so I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm more of a computer person at work (Photoshop, slide shows, or whatever else) but I have to be a Photographer's Aid all the time and answer the phones. It's really distracting. I hope this chapter solves a little of the Aria/Finnick hesitance (is this the right word?) However, have a good weekend/day! :)

Thank you: TheGirlWhoCan'tLetGo and Smilin Steph for adding this story to their favorites! Thank you Sunshine4545, iamexcel, and PippaLuck for following this story! Your endless support is so amazing! Thank you for reading! :)

I hope you all have a great day/weekend!

-GirlonFire


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11:  
**Angels and Demons_

The arena was round. It was like a dome or something. The cornucopia was an island in the middle of an ocean. There were ledges coming from the island, but we had to swim.

I began going through physics. If I propelled off the pedestal enough, I could land on a ledge and pull myself up. I think that was my best plan. I can't swim well enough to get straight to the island.

The countdown began and I looked around. I was sandwiched between Seeder and Beetee. Finnick was a few people away from me. Finnick met my gaze and we nodded.

Katniss looked pale and sweaty. She looked like she was crying. Her skin was blotchy and red. She seemed to be trying to catch her breath.

And then the gong sounded. In an instant, Finnick and Katniss dived into the water. I backed up as much as I could on the pedestal and took a running start. It was only a little jump to the ledge. I could land it.

Before I was ready, my feet were moving. And then I jumped. I landed successfully on the ledge and ran. I beat Katniss and Finnick there! I grabbed a backpack, some knives, and some rope. I'm sure the backpack held a lot of other snacks or something.

It was absolute chaos around me. I quietly snuck out of the cornucopia and looked around. Finnick just skewered the man from District Five. I couldn't find Bella! She was a serious threat, too.

"Finnick!" I said.

"Aria?" He asked, turning. We did a dramatic hug and I kissed him. I could practically hear the Capitol people sigh.

"Be safe. Watch out for the District Five girl." I said cupping his face and forcing him to look at me.

"I will." Finnick said as we hugged again.

"You'd better get going." I said quietly.

"Be safe, Aria. Remember about your token." Finnick said as I nodded. He ran off with Katniss, Peeta, and Mags down a ledge and into the woods.

Beetee let out a scream behind me. Bella Trent, the District Five female, plunged a knife in his back when he wasn't looking. Gloss came around and snapped her neck instantly.

"Aria, you take care of District Three." Gloss growled, stomping away to talk with Brutus and Cashmere.

"Come on, Beetee." I said grabbing his arm and sneaking him to Johanna.

"Aren't you going to take care of me?" Beetee asked.

"No, get out of here." I demanded, sending him off. Johanna, Wiress, Blight, and Beetee ran down a ledge and it was quiet. Everything was seemingly over.

"Oh look, someone was hiding in the cornucopia!" Cashmere said, pulling Cecelia out. Cecelia was equipped with a sword and she was shaking. I took a shaky breath and ran over to where they stood.

"Why don't we leave her to Aria?" Brutus grunted.

"I don't feel like killing anymore." I said. Maybe if I whined to a certain amount, they would just let her go. Cecelia's eyes widened and we had a silent conversation.

"Just make it fast." Gloss demanded as I grabbed the sword from Cecelia. Cecelia kneeled at my feet and I got ready. I pulled back the sword, ready to swing. My eyes filled with tears. Cecelia looked me in the eyes and nodded once.

And I did it. I beheaded her. I cut through her neck with the sword. Her head went flying into the water and we had to drag her body there for the hovercraft. I did it.

"Let's get going." Gloss said, collecting materials we would need. The cornucopia didn't have food or water, though. Only weapons.

The Gamemakers had the desired effect. Their weapons were like a double-edged sword, no pun intended. I could have spared Cecelia or I could have killed her. I chose the second option, though.

"Aria, are you okay?" Brutus grunted.

"Fine. It's been a while since I've used a sword." I said, weakly. I couldn't be weak around the Careers. They would stop trusting me!

"You did great!" Cashmere said grinning. I forced a smile and collected some knives and rope. I held the sword and we walked off. We walked down a ledge and into the forest. I kept track of what ledge Katniss, Peeta, Mags, and Finnick walked down and made sure we walked down the one directly across.

"Are there any sources of fresh water?" Gloss asked.

"I don't see any mud." I said.

"There won't be any rain, that's too kind of the Gamemakers. We could try to boil the water there." Brutus said.

"We can't. The high salt content would kill us." I said.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Cashmere asked.

"Ask some sponsors?" I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Let's set up camp." Gloss said, assuming the role of leader. I'll have to remember to challenge him for it later.

"I'm going to set up some snares. I want to see if we can catch dinner." I said. As soon as I mentioned food, everyone seemed to perk up.

"Alright, make sure to spread them out. We could catch something other than food." Gloss said.

I pulled out the rope from my backpack and crafted it into mystery snares. Every single one was different. I hung three in every sector and explored a bit. It didn't seem so suspicious now. Maybe it was the space and being alone that calmed my suspicions, but something was very different about this arena. I couldn't put my finger on it, though.

I wandered back to camp before sundown.

"Well?" Brutus grunted.

"Everything is in place." I said as we sighed. We would have nothing to do for tonight! I'd be stuck, brewing on what I did during the day. Images and flashbacks were unavoidable. I couldn't stop reliving Cecelia's death.

I shivered and scooted closer to the fire.

"Who wants to take first watch?" Gloss asked.

"I will. I don't think I can sleep anyway. I'm too excited. My adrenaline is pounding!" I said as Brutus, Gloss, and Cashmere settled down in the leaves and shade. I leaned against a tree and let out a sigh. I had to stop and contain my feelings.

Ultimately, this was all a nightmare! It made my eyes water and my throat close. Why did I volunteer to do this?

I ran my hands nervously through my hair. I got up to walk around and went to investigate again. I made it halfway around the arena and started hearing screams. There were quick footsteps and I picked up the pace. But I was thrown on my back.

I walked straight into an invisible wall. There was gray foggy stuff, piling at the edges of the wall. I tried to maneuver my way around the wall and found my way at the bottom of a cliff.

Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick came tumbling down the cliff.

"It's okay, just relax. You'll be fine." I said to a very unattractive-looking Katniss. She was trying to wake herself up and started to twitch. She was covered in pus-filled blisters and was swollen beyond belief.

"What are you doing here? Where are the Careers?" She asked.

"Sleeping. Don't worry; I'm here to help you." I said.

"I don't need your help." She spat.

"Just get to the salt water. It heals infections and will take care of the blisters." I said as she began to army crawl her way over to the pond. Peeta began trying to follow her example and eventually got there. But Finnick was out of it, still.

"Finnick?" I asked, leaning over his head. He was trying to loosen the neck of his wet suit. It was suffocating him. He opened one eye and I looked into it.

"Are you an angel?" He asked as Katniss snorted.

"Sure, Finnick. I'm going to help you, though." I said, dragging him over to the pond.

"Why can't I become an angel?" He asked, greatly distressed.

"Because I need you to look out for Katniss and Peeta. They need your help and I need you to stay alive." I said.

"Okay." He said as we got to the pond. I slowly began to lower him into the water, despite his piercing cries. I helped him under the water and washed his blisters off. Gray puffs came out of the blisters as they disappeared from Finnick's body.

"Finnick, where is Mags?" I asked, finally realizing that she wasn't there. Was she finding food or water? Getting shade ready? I looked around, expecting to see her somewhere.

"She's dead. She died in the fog." Finnick muttered. My eyes welled up again and I nodded.

"At least I have you, though." Finnick said.

"Finnick, I have to get going. I still have work to do and so do you! But I'll try and visit again, if I can." I said as Katniss nodded once. She began taking over, trying to help Finnick. I passed Peeta with a small smile and ran off into the jungle.

I found a large birds' nest in the tree line, between the jungle and the beach. I collected four eggs inside the nest and went back to camp. It was almost sunrise and I began cooking our breakfast.

Brutus and Gloss woke up to the smell of food.

"Morning, Aria. What's for breakfast?" Brutus said, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"We're having eggs." I said.

"Anything happen last night?" Gloss asked.

"The old woman from Four died." I said.

"She lasted longer than I thought she would." Cashmere said as she was waking up. We ate breakfast in silence and began moving again.

I sent everyone a vibrate on the token and counted the ones back. Johanna, Finnick, Blight, Beetee, Wiress, and Chaff were okay.

"I wonder where we are." Cashmere said.

"Not sure. But do you hear the ticking?" Gloss asked as a tone of bugs swarmed us. They were mutant mosquitoes or something. Cashmere screamed and took off running. I followed shortly after.

I wasn't afraid of bugs. But I was afraid of how the bug bites would infect our bodies and poison us.

I outran Cashmere and we ran to the beach. I sighed in relief when we all got there without bites.

"What was that?" Brutus grunted, catching his breath.

"I don't know, but we can't afford to physically exert ourselves. We'd have a higher rate of dehydration in a shorter time and it wouldn't be good. We need water." I said.

"How do we get water?" Cashmere asked.

"I don't know. Stop asking stupid questions, Cash. We're all thirsty, but this is life or death. There's no mud, no fresh-water, and no other tributes. Where have they gone?" Gloss demanded. The dehydration was taking a toll on his patience.

"Gloss, it's a big arena. When I was hunting for breakfast, it took me nearly an hour to find my way back to camp! We're not doing anything wrong; we're just spread out for the time being." I said gently.

"And what happens when the Gamemakers begin to force us closer and closer?" Gloss demanded.

"That isn't going to happen yet. We still have a few more deaths to cause." I said as Gloss sighed and nodded his head. For now, the thought of death should contain his fury.

It was silent for a while. Nothing happened. And then there was a giant wave! It was seriously ten-feet tall and was vicious. The current was insane and I was glad that I wasn't attempting to swim in it.

I watched the wave form from the back of the sector across from us. It ripped across the land and into the water that surrounded the cornucopia. It hit the cornucopia with a huge splash and soaked everything. Small little ripples of waves bounced across all the sectors.

"I wonder what that was. It didn't sound like it killed anyone." Brutus said.

"I don't know, but it was weird." I said as Gloss nodded. We continued walking and I led the way this time. We walked through lunch and tried to find water. We weren't very successful, though.

I could only hope that we would find water soon. We would only last for about a day longer. And it was already beginning to take a toll on Gloss!

We needed water.

* * *

I had the problem with updating again, but I figured out a little loop-hole this time. As soon as I saved the new Chapter to my Doc Manager, I went back in the file and deleted what I typed (it turns out in a weird order every time) and re-copied it. Now it seems to be working. I just hope I don't have to do that every time I update the story!

**Pluv143000**: Lol thank you for asking your questions! I did realize the mistake with the skills and being twelve this morning. Aria does have moves, but she doesn't like having moves. In her Games, she killed others but she did it in a secluded/secret place and the Capitol didn't film it. As for the other question about why no one volunteered, it's actually kind of answered in the next chapter. There will be a flashback explaining some of Aria's first reaping and we'll see why no one volunteered. Thank you for reviewing and asking questions. I'm terribly sorry for any confusion! Have a good day :)

**TheGreenMockingjay: **Thank you for reviewing! I'm so glad that you like the story! Your support has been so nice! Have a great day :)

**Xenocanaan: **Thank you for reviewing! I hope this was a fast enough update, lol. Thank you for supporting this story! I hope you have a good day! :)

Thank you: TheGreenMockingjay and Xenocanaan for adding this story to their favorites! Thank you: Lou467, Safelyliving, caleb's babe, TheGreenMockingjay, Xenocanaan, abigleave, and weirdunusualchick for following this story! You're support means a lot to me.

On the contrary, though, the lack of response is kind of disappointing for Chapter 10. I thought you'd all like a chapter in Finnick's point of view. I didn't get much positive response so maybe it won't be a thing for this story. I don't know what you guys like or dislike unless you let me know somehow!

And I've started to edit Chapters 1-9 for grammatical errors/plot mistakes/ etc. So let me know if you guys see anything and want it fixed!

Thank you all for reading! Have a great day :)

-GirlonFire


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chapter 12  
_**_Only Human_

Our desperate attempt to find water was just that- desperate. Cashmere was extremely fatigued, Brutus was too weak to lift his own spear, and Gloss was very crabby. We were going around in circles, looking for water. We weren't hunting the other tributes, we were hunting for water. And we were failing. We weren't going to make it through the night now!

I was absolutely exhausted! I took three night guard shifts in a row. It was beginning to take a toll on me. We couldn't travel as far without stopping, we needed breaks almost every ten minutes. I layered my hair across my shoulders so my neck wouldn't burn in the heat.

"Aria, I think you're getting heat exhaustion." Brutus said. He was actually kind of concerned for me! It was touching. Maybe he wasn't so bad. I know Cashmere wasn't as bad as she let on, too. It was only Gloss. He constantly fought with me, even though I was clearly right most of the time. The other times, I had to wait to be right.

"How can you tell?" I asked, tiredly. I definitely needed some coffee or something. This was unbearable. Why did I take three night shifts in a row?

"You're pale and feverish." Brutus said as I sighed.

"We'll be fine once we get to water." I said.

"If we get to water." Cashmere muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means you're leading us around in circles! It's your fault we haven't encountered water yet." Gloss yelled. There's the temper that I clearly hated. I don't know why Gloss let his frustrations show so much. It could only hurt him. And technically, I could use his feelings to my advantage now.

"I can't control the water!" I snapped back. It wasn't my fault that we didn't find water, it was out of my control! And now I was getting crabby. I blame Gloss.

"Calm down, you two." Brutus grunted.

I took a deep breath and let Gloss keep yelling at me. I didn't engage in him, he would mostly ignore me. I kept walking, he kept yelling. I don't know how he managed to yell for so long. No wonder his throat was drier than Katniss' sense of humor.

We walked basically the perimeter of the jungle before stopping. Gloss finally quieted down when he fell asleep and I let out a sigh.

"Sorry about him, Aria. He's just on edge. He really wants to catch Everdeen and them." Cashmere said.

"We all do. We're trying our hardest." Brutus said.

"They're too well disguised. We need a plan. Where are they most likely to hide?" I asked.

"The beach. Nothing can get them there." Cashmere said.

"So we ambush them? We have the advantage." Brutus said.

"But they're healthier than we are." I said.

"Let's just go to bed and see what we think of." Cashmere said.

"One of us has to guard." Brutus said.

"I will. You all need the rest anyway." I said shrugging my shoulders. I sat down on the ground and pulled my knees up to my chest. This was now my fourth guarding shift in a row.

I looked up at the perfect starry sky. It reminded me of the night before my first reaping. My dad was extremely drunk and he bet on everyone else's kids for the reaping. It's kind of ironic how it turned out. My dad's 'friends' persuaded everyone in the District not to volunteer for me. And I was 'lucky' and got reaped. There was the silence, followed by screams. My dad was begging for someone to volunteer but they didn't.

I was the first twelve-year-old from District Two ever sent in the Games.

"Aria, can you get a head start trying to find water? Gloss won't be so angry if he knows you're looking." Cashmere said quietly. I got up and walked through the arena. I didn't find anything! There was absolutely nothing. Cashmere wouldn't let me back to camp for a few more hours, too!

I walked to the beach and found Finnick. He was getting fish. And they had water! How? Where did they get it? I swear they were smarter than Beetee.

"Finnick!" I whispered in the wind. He spun around and found me. I smiled and walked out from the tree line. The sand was really warm on my feet and it almost felt nice.

"What are you doing here?" He asked pulling me into a hug.

"Just visiting." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"You're visiting me? _Willingly_? I thought the Careers were a vacation from me." Finnick said.

"No. They're absolutely dreadful." I said shaking my head. I moved sweaty strands of hair out of my face and squinted up at Finnick. The sun was in my eyes!

"You can eat with us this morning." Finnick said.

"I'm not too hungry, Finnick." I said.

"Aria, your stomach is normally like a black hole. What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing. I just feel kind of sick this morning. I'm pretty sure my exhaustion is catching up to me. I can fix that during the day, Finn. I'm fine." I said.

"You called me Finn?" He asked shocked. Was it that out of the norm?

"Yeah. Is there a problem?" I asked raising an eyebrow. I was really confused! Before we got married, Finnick's nickname was Fish-Boy. Man, those were the days.

"No. It's just- normally you call me whatever rude name you can think of." Finnick said.

"That was before we got married, love." I said.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" Finnick asked.

"I'm pretty positive. I feel perfectly fine, Finnick!" I said rolling my eyes. Finnick put his hand on my forehead, testing for a fever. I let out an angry sigh and waited.

"Aria, you're sick! You're so feverish; I think we could use your forehead as a fire." Finnick said.

"I'm not sick, just dehydrated." I said.

"I'll get you some water. Sit down in the shade." Finnick commanded. I did obediently. He seemed really stubborn about this, but at the same time it was kind of sweet. His concern made my heart skip a beat. What was happening to me?

I laid in the sand and wiggled me toes. I stared up at the sky and dozed off for a few minutes.

"Sit up." Finnick said helping me sit a little. I studied him and he wiped sweaty hair off my face. I reached a shaking hand up to the leaf with water.

"I'll do it." Finnick said putting the leaf to my mouth. I nodded and sipped on the water.

"Do you want more?" He asked as I nodded. I made sure to watch how he got the water.

Finnick got water from the tree! I don't know how, but he had water and it was safe!

Finnick brought back more water and I sighed again. I downed the second cup of water in a shorter time than the first. I could already feel some energy trickling back into my body.

"You're still kind of clammy." Finnick said.

"It'll get better." I said shrugging my shoulders. My voice sounded a lot better now.

"I think we should go for a swim." Finnick said.

"I can't swim, though." I said hesitantly. What if Finnick makes fun of me for not being able to swim? I mean, he's a swimming expert!

"How did you get here then?" Finnick asked very confused.

"I jumped the ledge." I said.

"Do you want to learn how to swim?" Finnick asked quietly.

"I probably should, considering the arena being surrounded by water." I said as Finnick nodded in agreement.

"I can teach you if you want." Finnick said as I nodded.

We walked down a ledge. I got a little nervous. I looked down into the waves and didn't see a thing. I don't know how deep the water is or what is in there.

"Well, it's a sink or swim world." Finnick said, pushing me off of the ledge! How did I know he would do that, though?

The water was really cold. I slowly hit the bottom of the arena. Luckily, it wasn't that deep. I propelled myself off the ground and resurfaced.

"Finnick Odair!" I snapped, propelling myself to the surface. Finnick was laughing. Katniss and Peeta were watching from the beach. This was embarrassing!

"Well, you swam up." Finnick said.

"Wrong. I propelled up from the bottom. I still don't know how to swim." I said flicking my soaking wet hair over my shoulder. It fell into the waves and Finnick smiled.

"Okay, I'll teach you." Finnick said as he jumped into the water. The waves began picking up.

"Swimming is really easy. The first thing to learn is how to float." Finnick said.

"Float? How hard could it be?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

Floating turned out to be kind of hard. It was too boring and I was too hyped up. My heart was pounding in my chest. It was actually kind of challenging. I went under in the waves and Finnick pulled me back up.

"Harder than it looks?" Finnick asked as I nodded.

I tried again and looked at the sky.

"I think you understand the art of floating for now. Let's try moving. To go forward, you float on your stomach and kick your legs and move your arms." Finnick said showing me what to do.

I copied what he did and he nodded.

"And to go backwards, you float on your back. Then you just kick your legs and move your arms." Finnick said as I did.

"Good job! And that's basically it." Finnick said as I grinned.

"I'm a fast learner." I said smiling.

Finnick nodded his head and stared into my eyes. I stared into his eyes. My heart started thudding in my chest. Finnick was getting closer and closer. I was studying his face. We were slowly inching closer and closer together, standing in water.

Katniss and Peeta quieted. They were staring at us intensely. I don't know why, but Peeta was grinning. I think Finnick was scared though. Not of kissing me or anything, we've already done that. He was afraid of losing me like he lost Mags. I don't think he could handle it.

"Get out of the water! Quickly!" Katniss yelled as Finnick and I jumped away. Finnick turned around and I heard it before I saw it. There was a huge tidal wave coming from the opposite side of the arena.

Finnick quickly picked me up and rushed out of the water. We barely made it. I don't know how I felt: angry or impressed.

"What the hell sort of timing was that?!" I demanded, putting myself down on the sand. Peeta and Finnick jumped at my explosion.

Katniss smiled. She actually smiled at my frustration. Peeta laughed and Finnick rolled his eyes.

"Now I have to head back to the Careers. There's no way they aren't awake after that." I said with a sigh. I was kind of sad about leaving. Everything was so different with Katniss, Finnick, and Peeta. They were concerned about survival, but not as much as the Careers. Normally it is the opposite.

"Give us a minute?" Finnick asked as Peeta nodded and pulled Katniss off.

"Aria." Finnick said quietly.

"I know. Be safe and stuff. Blah, blah, blah." I said as Finnick put his head against mine. I leaned up and kissed him lightly.

"I have to go now." I said whispering.

Finnick grabbed my hand and nodded once. He grinned and I furrowed my eyebrows. He was planning something. He spun me under his arm and I tripped over my feet.

Finnick grinned and caught me before I fell on my butt. This must be a routine he rehearsed. And then he kissed me. I could practically hear the Capitol people sigh. It was so extravagant and showy. It wasn't for Finnick or for me, it was for the audience. It was what the Capitol called a 'swoon-worthy moment' and Finnick was doing what we were supposed to.

"Go." Finnick said as I squeezed his hand and walked into the tree line.

I found my way back to camp. By the time I got there, I was completely dried off. It was like this morning didn't even happen. But that doesn't mean the kisses didn't happen. I don't think I could ever forget something like that.

My hair was beginning to frizz in the humidity. I wrapped it up in a bun and held the bun with some sticks.

"Did you find anything?" Cashmere asked hopefully.

"No." I said, trying to look as sick as I was this morning. If they thought I was hiding water from them, I'd die.

I seemed to pass the test. Gloss thoroughly studied my face and decided that my blushing cheeks were an indication of sun burn.

"We have to find water or we'll all die. I know there's water here. No one is dying from dehydration yet. It must be only us. What can we do?" Brutus grunted. That had to be one of the only intelligent things he has ever said! I was thoroughly shocked.

"I don't know what we do." Cashmere said.

"We don't physically exert ourselves, we don't hunt others, and we focus on our survival. Other than that, we see if we can get to a sector where it rains a lot." I said. Someone needed to be in control here. It looks like I was that person now.

"Should we start traveling?" Cashmere asked me.

"No. We need to rest up. We've already exerted ourselves too much." I said as they relaxed and looked at the sky. I think we were all glad that we weren't attempting to walk somewhere. My feet hurt really badly after finding Finnick, Katniss, and Peeta this morning.

We relaxed for the rest of the day. It was kind of nice. It was very quiet. We seemed to get lucky when escaping active sectors.

Gloss was so quiet that I almost forgot he was there. Until something very heavy- like a fist- pounded on my temple. Everything got really dizzy and I blacked out.

Gloss was dragging me somewhere though. Brutus and Cashmere were covering our tracks. Gloss wasn't very gentle, either. I could feel the bruises forming.

"I know where you were this morning, you little liar." Gloss said.

"It was worth it." I gasped as my head throbbed. And then the Careers jumped me. I predicted as much, but I never thought it would be so soon. I only lasted two and a half days with them, really.

I kicked Cashmere away from me, disarmed Brutus, and glared at Gloss. They were too easy to defeat now. I could walk out of here with no injuries!

Needless to say, I was kind of disappointed. I didn't get very far with them. Surely, Plutarch would be unhappy with me.

"Was seeing lover boy really worth the pain I'm going to put you in?" Gloss asked, grinning maliciously.

"Love will prevail. Anyone capable of love can be saved." I said. Gloss laughed bitterly.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that your love is real? You're a faker and a liar!" Gloss said. He was jealous. I don't think he was jealous of me or Finnick, though. Gloss shoved me into a tree and tied me to it with rope. So much for making an escape. I didn't realize Gloss was so strong!

"Jealousy is an ugly thing, Gloss. And besides, I'm only human." I said.

"Well? Go on. Who wants the first swipe? It isn't punishment if she isn't screaming." Gloss said grinning and pulling out a knife. I clenched my eyes shut and waited.

* * *

I am so sorry everyone! It's been a full out terrible week! Let me explain something though, this chapter has been incredibly hard to write. This is actually the third draft of it. I thought it was too rushed and I still do feel that way.

And now I have to vent: 1.) I have to play a tennis scrimmage at 8 pm- 11 pm tonight. Fun...

2.) My coach broke his ulna and radius in a snowboarding accident and had to go through surgery. He was supposed to tell us the tennis lineup on Wednesday and he wasn't even at tryouts! He had to text me to tell me that I didn't make the team. And then he said I would be 'an alternate' for when girls are sick or at work. But I don't want to be a #2! I'm not someone's replacement. And now I'm thoroughly considering quitting tennis. Should I? Shouldn't I? I love the sport, but the coach acts like a 13-year old and the girls are absolutely ridiculous! (If you've read #1, I'm filling in for someone...)

3.) I possibly had the biggest band audition of my life on Tuesday! I wasn't really nervous, but we didn't even get time to go off on our own to practice! We were just kind of thrown in with a judge. We had to play 4 scales on our instruments and a piece for the audition. I did really well, I think. But the judge was a lesson teacher for my instrument! I know she corrected some people based on what they did wrong, but she didn't really correct me. Is that a good thing or bad thing?

4.) I had my first tutoring job on Thursday. I tutor kids in Science, Spanish, English, and History (math isn't a strong subject of mine and most kids don't need the help in math). But Thursday was my first day tutoring someone and I kind of got to know the kid for a while. It's really awkward and I don't know what I can do to make him warm up to me. Help?

I'm really sorry for the long vent session. I'm making excuses. I'll get on with life now.

Thank you: mykk47, katie93319, AngelHoran139932100, pibbgotsthis, DeityofDeadlyRose, Momo Suzuki, Maamps, traclay, Kat-SweetHeart92, AllisonBae, R5lover1, Blood Alchemist23, and ClarissaR, Vampire Soliditarity1, Kima Wolfwood, LoveMePlz525, moktopus, paddyfoot92, and Jay007 for following/adding this story to their favorites! It is really appreciated with all the views and attention I get.

**DeityofDeadlyRose: **Thank you for such a kind response! It was really nice of you. I am really sorry about taking FOREVER on this update. I promise the next one will come a little bit faster. Thanks for the review and have a great day!

**Green-Nana-Neko89: **Thanks again for your continual support and kindness! I guess I'll add some Finnick Point of View chapters eventually. I want to try and space them out, but they'll be coming. I'm really sorry this update was so slow too! I like writing Aria with a little spunk. She's kind of my opposite, so I always try to make her really outrageously bold and strong. From this point, the Careers just get worse and worse. I hope you have a great day!

**09fawkes:** Thanks for the feedback! I think Finnick's point of view is a nice change, but not a lot of people positively responded to it. I don't know if they didn't like the change or what. But I like the story better with one chapter every so often in Finnick's perspective. Thanks for reviewing! Have a good day! :)

**TheGirlWhoCan'tLetGo: **I know! I am sooo excited to write more of the arena! I was getting so bored of writing training and other things like that. The arena is definitely where Aria and Finnick will do the most bonding! You'll see soon. Have a good day! Thanks for reviewing!

**Abigleave: **Thank you for such a kind review! Your support is what keeps me going! I hope you have a great day!

-GirlonFire


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